Since submission of this Phase II grant application, JDC has selected a site at the former Noralyn Mine beneficiation plant in Bartow, Florida for its research institute and follow-on demonstration plant. We are presently completing the business arrangements to lease and operate at this site. JDC will then move its office and laboratory to the Noralyn site where it plans to carry out significant parts of the Phase II program. Initially, the analytical labs used in the Phase I studies at XRL in Toronto, Canada, LECO labs in Michigan, and Agrium (Idaho) will be used for analysis of samples prepared at JDC. As the capability of the JDC lab is upgraded, more of the analytical determinations will be carried out there. The analytical measurements will be made using standard methods and the characterization of phosphate ore reserves for the IHP will be under the direction of a geologist using standard procedures. The analytical work for the Idaho reserves extension work will be carried out at the Agrium Laboratory. The characterization of the radon emanation and leaching characteristics of the co-product will be carried out at Pacific Northwest National Laboratories using standard analytical procedures and methods. The fish studies will be carried out in a certified commercial laboratory using standard procedures. The acquisition of permits and part of the engineering work will be carried out at the JDC labs at Noralyn. The engineering work will be partially carried out in New Jersey under the direction of Larry Handman (and support staff), who in addition to being on JDC staff is a licensed engineer and owns an engineering firm with all of the equipment required for professional engineering work. The vender testing will be under the direction of Bob Faulkner of JDC staff, mostly at the Metso process testing laboratories at Yorktown and Danville PA, which were also utilized in the Phase I program. The characterization of the radon emanation and leaching characteristics of the co-product will be carried out at Pacific Northwest National Laboratories using standard analytical procedures and methods. Modifications to the scrubber for phosphoric acid purity testing will be carried out under the design and construction oversight of a professional engineer at commercial fabrication facilities. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this Phase II program is to further develop scientific and engineering data supporting commercialization claims of greater phosphate resource stewardship, smaller environmental footprint, smaller economic scale, higher acid purity (to serve the fluid fertilizer and technical market), and cost advantages for the Improved Hard Process. JDC will develop data for completion of the engineering package, permits, and infrastructure necessary for implementing an Improved Hard Process demonstration plant for the production of relatively pure, concentrated phosphoric acid from low grade phosphate raw materials not currently useful to the existing commercial processes. Major factors in selecting a Florida site over a previously considered Idaho site include the plant site owner's willingness to lease under reasonable terms and the availability of phosphate tailings, phosphatic clay, magnesium contaminated pebble and other raw materials under suitable terms for supplying the demonstration plant. Additional low grade, reasonably priced raw material is available for several follow-on commercial plants. Further, Tampa Electric has agreed to provide petroleum coke at pass through costs for the demonstration plant. Previous Idaho site capital and operating cost engineering studies (now four years old) will be updated and extended for the Noralyn site for both the demonstration plant and a first commercial plant. The engineering studies for the demonstration plant will be of AFE grade to use as a basis for acquiring the remaining funding for the demonstration plant. Prior to the completion of these studies a full round of vender tests will be run on the actual materials to be used in the plant to determine the operating rates, utility usage rates, and final equipment sizes for the demonstration plant. During the batch kiln vender testing an upgraded off-gas scrubber will be installed that will allow the effective capture of the phosphorus oxide vapor and other off-gas components to allow a more accurate projection of the acid purity and value produced by the demonstration plant. The customer for the phosphoric acid product from the demonstration plant will use it in the technical grade acid market. Environmental permits will also be secured for the demonstration plant and a closer estimate of the permit requirements for a commercial plant will be determined. The Phase II program provides for making assessments of the increase in reserves from tailings, clay and currently unused Florida lower zone phosphate resources as well as reduced beneficiation processing of Florida and wider use of mined raw materials in Idaho. This will require a significant analytical program and data review. The co-product aggregate, which is produced at the rate of over five times the phosphoric acid production rate in the Improved Hard Process, will be evaluated for radon emanation characteristics and fish sensitivity. We expect this co-product testing to show that this aggregate is "safe" for commercial large-scale uses. APPROACH: Since submission of this Phase II grant application, JDC has selected a site at the former Noralyn Mine beneficiation plant in Bartow, Florida for its research institute and follow-on demonstration plant. We are presently completing the business arrangements to lease and operate at this site. JDC will then move its office and laboratory to the Noralyn site where it plans to carry out significant parts of the Phase II program. Initially, the analytical labs used in the Phase I studies at XRL in Toronto, Canada, LECO labs in Michigan, and Agrium (Idaho) will be used for analysis of samples prepared at JDC. As the capability of the JDC lab is upgraded, more of the analytical determinations will be carried out there. The analytical measurements will be made using standard methods and the characterization of phosphate ore reserves for the IHP will be under the direction of a geologist using standard procedures. The analytical work for the Idaho reserves extension work will be carried out at the Agrium Laboratory. The characterization of the radon emanation and leaching characteristics of the co-product will be carried out at Pacific Northwest National Laboratories using standard analytical procedures and methods. The fish studies will be carried out in a certified commercial laboratory using standard procedures. The acquisition of permits and part of the engineering work will be carried out at the JDC labs at Noralyn. The engineering work will be partially carried out in New Jersey under the direction of Larry Handman (and support staff), who in addition to being on JDC staff is a licensed engineer and owns an engineering firm with all of the equipment required for professional engineering work. The vender testing will be under the direction of Bob Faulkner of JDC staff, mostly at the Metso process testing laboratories at Yorktown and Danville PA, which were also utilized in the Phase I program. The characterization of the radon emanation and leaching characteristics of the co-product will be carried out at Pacific Northwest National Laboratories using standard analytical procedures and methods. The fish studies will be carried out in a certified commercial laboratory using standard procedures. Modifications to the scrubber for phosphoric acid purity testing will be carried out under the design and construction oversight of a professional engineer at commercial fabrication facilities
