A panel discussion at Florida Polytechnic University on Monday, Sept. 8, examined the history, benefits and future of phosphate mining.
Hosted by Florida Poly’s Office of Public Policy Events, the forum launched this academic year’s “Fantastic Forces: Elements in Action” series, which explores how earth, air, fire and water affect the environment, economy, and daily life. Its moderator was David Fugett, the University’s vice president and general counsel.
Phosphate, primarily used in fertilizer production, has driven Polk County’s mining industry for decades. Fugett asked panelists about advances in exploration, environmental safeguards, career opportunities, and the industry’s future.
“When I started in this industry 30 years ago, they said there was about 30 years left of phosphate, and today they still say there’s 30 years left,” said panelist Aaron Medley, director of operations and interim executive director of Florida Poly’s Florida Industrial and Phosphate Research (FIPR) Institute. “Technology is the biggest advancement that’s happened in the phosphate industry.”
Medley explained that inefficient manual mining, beginning in the 1940s, left large amounts of phosphate in waste piles, but advanced technology now helps companies recover these resources.
Dr. Derek Henderson, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, researches the beneficial reuse of phosphogypsum, a mining byproduct. He highlighted its potential use in road construction and as a strong domestic source of critical rare earth elements needed for items as diverse as semiconductors, smartphones, missiles and MRI machines. China supplies over 70% of world’s supply of these materials.
“As a national security issue, we want to make sure we have access to these elements when we need them,” Henderson said.
Beyond the strategic importance of rare earth elements, Henderson addressed how emerging technologies are transforming other aspects of the industry.
“In purchasing properties for exploration, I think machine learning is going to open a lot of opportunities to determine what kind of concentrations of phosphate you will to have, or the concentration of ores in properties they can’t take samples from or may not have the right data on,” Henderson said. “I think there will be a much lower risk in purchasing properties and buyers will have a better idea of what is there.”
In a separate part of the discussion, panelist Jason Frank turned attention to industry outreach and public understanding.
“Whether it’s phosphate or fertilizer, I think a lot of it is misunderstood at times and that’s our opportunity to shed more light on the science and the things we are doing to showcase that we are environmentally conscious in everything we do,” said Frank, vice president of business development, marketing, and research and development at Harrell’s LLC.
The company provides fertilizers, plant protection products and specialty solutions to its clients.
The next panel event in the series will be on Monday, Oct. 13.
