Physical, chemical and mineralogical characteristics of commercially available Eppawela and Gafsa rock phosphates

Abstract

Physical, chemical and mineralogical characteristics of commercially available Eppawela rock phosphate (ERP) was compared with a well known rock phosphate, Gasfa from Tunisia. The phosphate content of Eppawela material was low, around 16% and is two times lesser than Gasfa. Also, the extractable P in ERP was two times lesser than that of Gasfa, indicating its inferiority as a P source. A high amount of silica was present in the Eppawela material as an impurity and it therefore requires to ensure the quality control measures in a systematic way before it is marketed.