Wet Process
Wet Process : A process for making phosphoric acid by treating phosphate rock with an acid. The acid is usually sulfuric acid, but hydrochloric and nitric acids are used commercially in special circumstances - in israel where by-product hydrochloric acid is available, and in Norway and Switzerland where nitric acid is made by cheap hydroelectric power. The basic process with sulfuric acid is: 3H2SO4 + Ca3(PO4)2 + 3CaSO4 + 2H3PO4 The calcium sulfate by-product separates as either the dihydrate or the hemihydrate, depending on the conditions. The process originates from the work of J. B. Lawes in 1842 who patented a method of making a fertilizer by treating bones with sulfuric acid. Many variations are practiced today. See also: Dorr and Haifa. (Check source for accuracy of chemical formula)
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