The initial geological phosphate reserve in Risha region, east of the Kingdom, amounts to 700 million metric tonnes in the related study’s first phase for phosphate exploration project, which was launched in December 2021, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Saleh Kharabsheh on Thursday, announced.
In a press statement made at the phosphate exploration site in Rishah area, he presented a summary of the initial exploration works for the region’s phosphate ore, adding that average thickness of the phosphate ores layer in the project area is 8 meters.
Other layers’ thickness exceeded 10 meters in some wells, which are of excellent quality, where rate of crude concentrations of P2O5 recorded 24%, and in some wells exceeded more than 35%, with high quality, and its earthen cover does not exceed 9 meters.
Results of chemical analysis showed a significant drop in the percentage of mineral impurities, which did not exceed 0.1% in all samples, recording one of the lowest rates in the world, which is about 1.2%, he said.
This outcome puts Risha phosphate ore at the forefront of scientific phosphate raw materials of high quality with low clay impurities for high-value manufacturing, chemical, pharmaceutical and food industries, he noted.
To date, he said three companies have expressed interest in investing in the region’s phosphate reserves and their applications are being studied.
He also stressed the importance of directing investment to the region’s phosphates to manufacturing industries to provide the economy with added value to create more job opportunities in the area.
Kharabsheh noted the study collected more than 1,170 samples and their chemical analysis results also showed an abundance of radioactive uranium concentrations, which range from 60 to 118 grams per tonne.
On the same site, he referred to expected concentrations of rare earth elements, such as yttrium, nodonium, lanthanum, and others, which are used in manufacturing hybrid engine systems and alternative energy industries.
He noted the project was carried out with Ministry of Energy’s capabilities and included drilling of 58 wells covering an area of ??90 km2 in the first phase, including 9 core drilling wells, with a total length of more than 1200 meters, with average depths ranging from 25 to 35 meters.
At the end of 2021, the ministry launched a project to assess phosphate ore in the Kingdom’s eastern Risha area targeting an approximate total region estimated at about 3,000 km2. The first phase targeted an area of ??120 km2 to assess crude initially in terms of thickness and quality.
Source: Jordan News Agency