Process for dry mining phosphate ore utilizing a supersonic gas

摘要

An improved method for mining and processing phosphate matrix in its dry state utilizing a gas moving at supersonic velocity as the carrier fluid to perform the various process steps, in a substantially closed system, that yields dry high grade phosphatic materials and dry sand and clay fractions and to recombine and thoroughly mix the sand and clay fractions in approximately equal proportions by weight as they are produced and to transport the sand-clay mixture along with the naturally radioactive Radon-222 gas that is generated during the processing to the mined out pits and depositing them therein after which the leach zone materials of the overburden are deposited thereover and then depositing thereover the sandy materials of the overburden with provisions being made in preselected areas to form lakes to complete the process of reclaiming the land to its natural state immediately and without danger of radiation from the buried radioactive materials.