Industrial Phosphates (CEH)

The industrial phosphate market is a small but important segment of total phosphate demand and accounts for around 6–8% of global phosphate consumption. The fertilizer and feed markets are the major outlets for the phosphate market. Detergents, which used to be the largest end use for industrial phosphates, have been affected by environmental pressure and have declined significantly. Producers are focusing on creating new markets in food and horticultural applications to counter the decrease in demand from the detergent industry. Another new developmental area is in the production of lithium ion–phosphate batteries, and that would depend on growth in the production of electric vehicles.