ACCO-PHOS® 800 Series: For more sustainable, healthier and cleaner fertilizers and animal feeds

Keeping soil and plants free of toxins is essential to a flourishing agriculture industry and, more importantly, to our health and well-being. Add growing regulatory pressure, and it’s not surprising why the fertilizer and animal feed industries are looking to improve the sustainability profile of their products. To support these applications, Solvay introduced a one-of-a-kind product — ACCO-PHOS® 800.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) lists arsenic and cadmium as carcinogenic to humans, and according to studies, up to 41% of human cadmium exposure can be traced back to phosphate fertilizers. ACCO-PHOS® 800 enables removal of elements such as arsenic and cadmium from phosphoric acid, a raw material used in the production of phosphate-based fertilizers and animal feeds. The end result: ACCO-PHOS® 800 helps remove heavy metals from the food chain by enabling phosphate producers to offer healthier products.

How does it work?

ACCO-PHOS® 800 is added directly to phosphoric acid and forms a complex with metals such as cadmium and arsenic. This complex is then removed during the existing filtration step in phosphoric acid plants (pictured below).

“One great thing about ACCO-PHOS® 800 is that there is no off-gassing,” explains John Lampariello, Global Marketing Manager with Solvay’s Mining Solutions business, which is part of the Technology Solutions Global Business Unit. “Potential competitive chemistries degrade leading to H2S gas, which is highly toxic; however, thanks to the stable nature of Solvay’s product, degradation is not an issue.”

This is a major benefit and one of the factors that differentiates Solvay’s solution from others. Another key feature of the product is the fact that it is a bolt-on technology that requires no CapEx or additional unit operations. “Unlike capital-intensive decadmiation processes, ACCO-PHOS® 800 gives customers the operational flexibility to use the reagent when they need it and at a dose that gets them to the desired metal content,” John further explained.

Regulatory changes supporting demand

The EU is currently taking the lead in reducing cadmium content in phosphate fertilizers. Acceptable cadmium levels currently vary within the EU; however, several trilogue negotiations are expected to take place in October with the goal of coming to an agreement on final EU-wide legislation that would lower permissible cadmium limits. Solvay Mining Solutions is committed to helping customers meet the changing regulatory requirements by developing innovative solutions that favor ever-more-sustainable finished fertilizers.

“We have seen strong demand for ACCO-PHOS® 800 over the last two years and expect tightening EU and global regulations to continue to drive growth,” John explained.

“Thanks to ACCO-PHOS® 800, phosphate producers can reduce heavy metal content in their end products, meet tightening regulations and support environmental and health improvements.”