Patent ID: 7604126

Claim:
A process for beneficiating phosphate rock comprising: providing a slurry having 30% to 70% by weight of a liquid phase and having a solid phase comprising clay, sand, and phosphate rock, the slurry being provided at a temperature between 0° C. and 95° C. and under a back pressure of up to about 20 bar; exposing the slurry to ultrasonic energy released from a sonotrode located within the slurry, the ultrasonic energy being produced by a piezoceramic transducer to have a resonance frequency within the range of from 16 kHz to 100 kHz, the resonance frequency having a total bandwith of approximately 4 kHz, the ultrasonic energy having an intensity within the range of from 0.0001 W/cm 3 to about 1000 W/cm 3 , the ultrasonic energy creating cavitational forces within said slurry; and separating said clay and sand from said phosphate rock using an air flotation process and a cycloning process.