Phosphate and phosphate rock have played a crucial role in human civilization, from their early discovery as a chemical element to their modern position as an essential component of global agriculture and industry. The story of phosphate spans centuries of scientific discovery, industrial innovation, and geopolitical competition, fundamentally shaping how humanity feeds itself and manages natural resources.

This history encompasses the transformation of a mysterious glowing substance discovered in urine to a strategic mineral that has sparked international conflicts and drives the modern agricultural economy. Understanding the evolution of phosphate from laboratory curiosity to industrial commodity reveals not only the development of chemistry and agriculture but also the complex relationships between science, technology, and society that continue to influence our world today.

Be sure to check out all other critical raw materials (CRMs), as well.

A History Of Phosphate And Phosphate Rock

The history of phosphate and phosphate rock represents a remarkable journey from alchemical discovery to industrial revolution, encompassing scientific breakthroughs, agricultural transformation, and global resource competition. From Hennig Brand’s accidental discovery of phosphorus in 1669 to the modern phosphate mining operations that feed billions, this story illustrates humanity’s evolving relationship with one of Earth’s most essential elements for life.

Chronology

• 1669 – German alchemist Hennig Brand discovered phosphorus in Hamburg while attempting to create the philosopher’s stone by distilling urine, which contains dissolved phosphates, becoming the first named person in history to discover a chemical element [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
• 1680 – English chemist Robert Boyle independently discovered phosphorus from urine, marking phosphorus’s entry into broader scientific knowledge [1, 9]
• 1737 – Brand’s method for producing phosphorus from urine phosphates became more widely known when an unknown person sold it to the Academy of Sciences in Paris [4]
• 1770s – Swedish scientist Carl Wilhelm Scheele discovered that phosphorus could be prepared from bone phosphates, providing an alternative to urine-based production [4]
• 1840 – German chemist Justus von Liebig published “Die organische Chemie in ihrer Anwendung auf Agricultur und Physiologie,” identifying phosphorus as essential to plant growth and arguing that phosphate fertilizers were needed to optimize crop growth [10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19]
• 1842 – John Bennet Lawes patented his process for treating phosphate rock with sulfuric acid to produce superphosphate fertilizer, founding the artificial fertilizer industry [20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29]
• 1843 – Lawes established the first commercial superphosphate fertilizer factory at Deptford, using phosphate rock as raw material [25, 26, 27, 28, 29]
• 1847 – Phosphate rock was first mined commercially in England for use as a fertilizer, marking the beginning of the phosphate mining industry [30, 31, 32, 33, 34]
• 1850s – The developing sciences of chemistry and the discovery of coprolites (fossilized feces rich in phosphates) in commercial quantities in East Anglia led to development of superphosphate plants [22]
• 1856 – The United States Congress passed the Guano Islands Act, allowing U.S. citizens to claim uninhabited islands containing guano (bird excrement rich in phosphates) deposits [35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42]
• 1864-1866 – Spain occupied Peru’s phosphate-rich guano Chincha Islands during the Chincha Islands War [35, 43]
• 1867 – Phosphate mining began in the United States in South Carolina, focusing on phosphate rock deposits [31, 44, 34]
• 1868 – Commercial phosphate mining started near Charleston, South Carolina, mining phosphate rock that continued until 1938 [44]
• 1870 – Peru achieved its greatest ever export of guano phosphate at more than 700,000 tonnes [35]
• 1871 – About 80 factories were producing superphosphate from phosphate rock [22]
• 1873 – Phosphate rock was discovered in Algeria by Philippe Thomas, beginning North Africa’s phosphate industry [45]
• 1879-1883 – The War of the Pacific was fought between Chile, Peru, and Bolivia over control of guano phosphate and nitrate resources [35, 38, 40]
• 1880 – All the world’s guano phosphate deposits were mined out by this year [39, 43]
• 1880 – Dr. C.A. Simmons had rock from his quarry in Hawthorne, Florida analyzed and confirmed to contain phosphate [46]
• 1881 – Captain J. Francis LeBaron discovered phosphate pebbles in the Peace River south of Fort Meade, Florida [47, 46, 30]
• 1883 – Dr. C.A. Simmons launched the earliest attempt at mining phosphate in Florida [46]
• 1885 – Philippe Thomas discovered rich calcium phosphate deposits at Jebel Thelja in Tunisia [48]
• 1889 – Albertus Vogt discovered high-grade phosphate hard rock near Dunnellon, Florida, triggering the Florida phosphate boom [46]
• 1891 – The Pharr Phosphate Company made the first shipment of land pebble phosphate from Florida [46]
• 1894 – More than 215 phosphate mining companies were operating in Florida at the phosphate boom’s height [46]
• 1896 – Henry Denson found a phosphate-rich rock on Nauru [49, 44]
• 1896 – Phosphate mining started in the central Tennessee phosphate district [44]
• 1899 – Albert Ellis confirmed Denson’s Nauru rock as high-quality phosphate ore [49, 44]
• 1900 – Florida phosphate mining companies had dwindled to about 50 due to consolidation [46]
• 1906 – An agreement established the Pacific Phosphate Company’s rights to mine phosphate on Nauru [49, 44]
• 1907 – Phosphate rock was first mined in Wyoming from the Phosphoria Formation [50]
• 1908 – River-pebble phosphate mining ended in the Peace River, Florida [51]
• 1919 – The British Phosphate Commissioners took over phosphate mining rights on Nauru following World War I [49, 44]
• 1920 – The Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP) was founded in Morocco to manage phosphate resources [52, 53, 54, 55]
• 1920s-1930s – Draglines revolutionized phosphate rock extraction methods in mining operations [51]
• 1921 – OCP began extracting phosphate rock at Khouribga, Morocco, and exporting phosphate [52]
• 1927 – Erling Johnson developed the Odda process for producing nitrophosphate fertilizer from phosphate rock [22]
• 1927 – The flotation process for separating phosphate rock from sand was developed [51]
• 1931 – OCP launched phosphate mining operations in Youssoufia, Morocco [52]
• 1946-1961 – Peru built artificial “islands” to increase guano phosphate production from seabirds [37]
• 1947 – The Leefe Mine began phosphate rock production in Wyoming [50]
• 1948 – The United States produced only sedimentary phosphate rock deposits [44]
• 1955 – The North Carolina phosphate rock deposit was discovered [44]
• 1956 – Peru produced over 330,000 metric tons of guano phosphate [37]
• 1960s – Occidental Petroleum began phosphate mining in north Florida [46]
• 1965 – OCP began phosphate processing and fertilizer manufacturing in Safi, Morocco [52]
• 1965 – Hard rock phosphate production ceased in Florida’s Ocala-Dunnellon region [46]
• 1968 – Nauru nationalized its phosphate industry [49, 44]
• 1970 – Nauru purchased full rights to its phosphate business for A$21 million [49, 44]
• 1976 – OCP launched phosphate mining in Benguerir, Morocco [52]
• 1977 – Wyoming’s last phosphate rock production occurred at the Leefe Mine [50]
• 1979 – Phosphate mining ended on Banaba Island [49, 44]
• 1979-1980 – Benguerir became Morocco’s newest phosphate mining center [53]
• 1984 – OCP launched phosphate chemical production at Jorf Lasfar, Morocco [52]
• 1989 – Nauru sued Australia over environmental damage from phosphate mining [49, 44]
• 1991 – Tennessee’s phosphate mining district became inactive [44]
• 1993 – Montana’s last phosphate mine at Garrison shut down [44]
• 1994 – Tunisia’s phosphate company (CPG) merged with Groupe Chimique Tunisien [48]
• 2000 – Nauru’s phosphate deposits were virtually exhausted [49, 44]
• 2006 – China, USA, and Morocco were the world’s largest phosphate rock producers [56]
• 2008 – OCP Group became a limited company managing Morocco’s phosphate resources [52]
• 2008 – Tunisia’s phosphate company layoffs led to major protests [48]
• 2012 – China produced 77 megatonnes of phosphate rock, USA 29.4 Mt, Morocco 26.8 Mt [56]
• 2013 – About 90% of phosphate rock was used for fertilizer and animal feed [57, 44]
• 2014 – OCP opened a phosphate slurry pipeline between Khouribga and Jorf Lasfar [52]
• 2016 – Florida produced 65% of U.S. phosphate rock [44]
• 2018 – OCP Group phosphate revenues reached US$5.884 billion [52]
• 2018 – World’s total economic phosphate rock resource was 70 gigatonnes [56]
• 2023 – OCP donated $97.5 Million to Morocco’s Earthquake Relief Fund while maintaining phosphate operations [52]

Final Thoughts

The history of phosphate and phosphate rock reveals a remarkable transformation from an alchemist’s accidental discovery to one of the world’s most strategically important minerals. This journey encompasses scientific breakthroughs that revolutionized our understanding of plant nutrition, industrial innovations that enabled global agricultural expansion, and geopolitical conflicts that reshaped international relations.

As we face contemporary challenges of food security, environmental sustainability, and resource depletion, the lessons from phosphate’s history become increasingly relevant. The finite nature of phosphate reserves, combined with their uneven global distribution and essential role in agriculture, presents both opportunities and challenges for future generations.

Understanding this history helps us appreciate not only how far we have come in harnessing nature’s resources but also the responsibility we bear in managing them wisely for the benefit of all humanity.

Thanks for reading!

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