Mining and Discovery of Phosphate in Morocco - Term Paper Example

PHOSPHATE IN MOROCCO By Student’s Name Code+ Course Name Professor’s Name University’s Name City, state Date Executive Summary This course entails the student to write a project based on research and the skills acquired in lecture about historical context of phosphate in Morocco. The main objective of this project is to develop ideas that will lead some recommendations that can be used to see the phosphate rock surviving. Morocco is a country located in the Western Sahara and controls almost all the countries in the region. Even though it controls these countries it has no legal powers over their natural resources. Historical context of phosphate in morocco is also a core in this project. Mining in the region is mainly controlled by government companies more specifically Office Chérifien des Phosphates which has its headquarters in central morocco. Mining and discovery of phosphate in morocco can be traced back in early 1920’s. The main products from the rock phosphate are fertilizers, detergents as well as food additives. They are mainly extracted for exportation therefore bringing some income to the government. The country ranks third in the production of phosphorous but holds the largest reservoirs globally. Office Chérifien des Phosphates Company has a deal with a Mexican company to sign a long term contract that would see a continued exportation of phosphate products. The local people in the region were against this since they argued that they would lose their jobs if the company was to be accepted in the state. Key Words and Definitions Phosphates­­- These are different minerals mined from a particular rock and they are mostly composed of phosphorus. Reservoirs- these can be referred as tanks that have been purposely reserved for storing phosphate products. Fertilizers -This is a by-product of phosphate used in farms to add phosphates to crops. Extraction- This is the process of acquiring products such as fertilisers from phosphate rocks. Sediments- layers of rocks that are strategically arranged. Overview Phosphates refer to almost fifteen different minerals extracted in morocco containing the element of phosphorous. Morocco controls the whole of west Sahara even if it does not have the sovereign power over their natural resources. Uses of phosphate are usually determined by the amount of the phosphate in the rock, even though ninety percent is normally used as inorganic fertilizer. Mining of phosphate in Morocco started around early 1920’s in a place known as Khouribga. Miners started digging through the earth looking for the rich phosphate rock and could occasionally pluck out the tooth of a thirty years old million shark. This phosphate was been mined under the layers of the ancient sea in morocco. After extraction from the rock it was used in detergents, fertilizers, food additives, as well as in lithium ion batteries (Van Kauwenbergh, Stewart, & Mikkelsen, 2013). In the first decades after the discovery it was sold in it raw state at a very low price of about forty dollars per metric tons. In recent years the same amount phosphate is sold at one hundred and fifty dollars. Morocco is the third world largest phosphate producer in the world after United States and China. The country has limited agricultural activities, making it to rely on exportation of phosphate products. It is estimated that, the phosphate that is produced globally per year is 225 million tonnes of which 30 million tonnes comes from Morocco. Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP) is a government company that operate phosphate mining in Morocco and other countries in Western Sahara region (Newman 2012). This company was formed in the year 1920 and has been managing the mining and distribution of phosphate in the region. Some of the prominent mines in morocco are Benguérir, Khouribga and Youssoufia, all of which are located in central morocco. In the year 1965 this company started processing the phosphate rock into phosphoric acid and fertilisers. These plants were set up in the coastal region of the country. Ten years later another company was generated that was under Office Chérifien des Phosphates. The name of the company was Maroc Phosphore. The company was established to help in exportation phosphate products. In the year 1980 to 1994 the first phase of mining was done, where approximately 3.1mt/y was mined from C5 and C6 beds. Morocco contains more than half of world reservoirs. Upper cretaceous, palaeocene and eocene are the most common sediments in morocco. These sediments hold approximately eighty five metres of phosphorite resources. Bed C1 TO C6 is worked deep into the ground while C5 and C6 are worked shallow on the ground. The rich beds of phosphate are about 1metre to 3 metres in thickness and twenty two percentages to twenty eight percentage P205. Ideas and Recommendations Phosphate as the main resource for economic growth in Morocco requires to be maintained by all means. Some of the following issues are the main focus of phosphate mining and exportation: Innophos is a Mexican company that is requesting to have long term contract with Office Chérifien des phosphates on mining extraction in the region. It is clearly noted the state has not yet accepted this due to wishes and interests of local people. According to the Office Chérifien des Phosphates, if they accept the deal they shall be violating with fundamental ethical norms of the people. For this to be achieved they must first resolve the international legal status of the area. Phosphates products such as fertiliser influence agricultural activities of morocco. Almost every crop requires phosphate for it growth, phosphate is readily available in large amount in the region. This has led to improvement in the agriculture sector that is also considered as a major source of revenue to the country. As earlier indicted the most common use of phosphate is that of fertilizer production. According to the research phosphate mining is declining almost everywhere in the world except in Morocco (Walan,Davidsson, Johansson, & Höök, 2014). This has made the country to put much focus on this resource. In the recent decades phosphate production has been declining slowly due to high usage. Phosphate industries employs almost twenty five thousand people directly and countless population indirect. The people of the area appreciate this even though of late the country is negotiating contract with innophos on it inclusion that may led to loss of jobs to local people. It is worth noting that every living cell require phosphate for it growth and development. For plant growth and development the component is as necessary as water. Many soils do not have enough phosphate for plants to produce high yields. This is achieved by mining more phosphate rock and then turning it into fertilizer that is later spread on the land. This has brought about economic changes as well as increase in food production. Phosphate is mostly extracted by strip mining that causes a huge damage to the land. This extraction also causes water pollution to the surrounding area. Natural sediments are normally replaced by artificial moulds that cause underground destruction. The country should acquire new extraction methods that cause fewer disturbances to the environment. This issue can also be resolved by recycling phosphate back into soil and this will automatically cut down application of fertilizer hence reducing extraction of mining rock. Scientists should also find a substitute for phosphate. The country has also identified that uranium that is an important mineral can be extracted from phosphate (Cooper, LombardiBoardman & Carliell-Marquet 2011). According to Office Chérifien des phosphates company’s director, it is evidence that phosphate contain very significant concentration of uranium. Uranium has several uses such: - used for nuclear weapons, to produce electricity, produce human medicine, just to mention but a few. This continues to encourage the government to support the mining industries with materials as well as finances. A large amount of phosphates in the country is used as fertilizers. These fertilizers are then used in agricultural activities. Phosphates can then be consumed by human beings through food and may lead to long and short term diseases to human beings. This problem can be addressed by reducing the amount of phosphate in the fertilizers. For the businesses in the country to run well infrastructures such as roads and railways should be developed in modern ways. This is to ensure that the products are transported to their destinations on time. Reflective Analysis and Concluding Remarks Morocco dominates the world largest reservoirs in the world. Office Chérifien des phosphates is a government company that manages the mining, processing as well as exportation of phosphate. It has been discovered that phosphate production in many countries is declining even Morocco is still maintaining it production. The main uses of phosphates are fertiliser production, detergents as well as food additives. There are several mines in morocco where phosphate is been extracted. Some of the mentioned mines include the following: - Benguérir, Khouribga and Youssoufia. Use of fertilizer from phosphate rock has led to increase in agriculture production as well economic growth of the Western Sahara at large. The major recommendation made to the office Cherifien des is to decline signing a contract with innophos that is Mexican company. The reason behind this is that the local people are not happy with the idea since this could result to lose of jobs. Even though phasphates has numerous advantages it also causes environmental hazards. During extraction even the water on the underground are polluted. It is also noted that in recent years Office Chérifien des Phosphates is on the process of extracting uranium from phosphorus. Uranium is an important mineral that can be used in manufacturing of medicine and also in nuclear industries to make weapons. Reference List Cooper, J., Lombardi, R., Boardman, D., & Carliell-Marquet, C. (2011). The future distribution and production of global phosphate rock reserves. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 57, 78-86. Newman, H. R. (2012). The mineral industries of Morocco and Western Sahara. Minerals Yearbook: Area Reports International Review 2010 Africa and the Middle East, 9. Van Kauwenbergh, S. J., Stewart, M., & Mikkelsen, R. (2013). World reserves of phosphate rock… a dynamic and unfolding story. Better Crops, 97(3), 18-20. Walan, P., Davidsson, S., Johansson, S., & Höök, M. (2014). Phosphate rock production and depletion: Regional disaggregated modeling and global implications. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 93, 178-187. Read More