Junior phosphate technology developer Novaphos, Fort Meade, Fla., on Jan. 9 announced a strategic agreement with Hatch, Mississauga, Ont., an engineering project management and professional services firm, to focus on Novaphos’ first commercial phosphoric acid production facility. Hatch will invest in Novaphos and utilize its expertise to advance the project.
“We are thrilled that Hatch will serve as a key strategic partner and advisor as Novaphos continues to revolutionize how phosphate is mined and processed,” said Timothy Cotton, Novaphos CEO. “Phosphate is one of the most valuable minerals in the world, yet the way it is currently being produced is broken. For years, the phosphate industry has seen minimal technical change. The result is that current production processes are wasteful and destructive to the environment.”
Novaphos said the announcement follows a series of developments driving company plans to scale its operations in 2024. It recently added Navy Vice-President Admiral Andrew “Woody” Lewis (ret.) as Chief Development Officer and former EuroChem executive Evgeny Fedoseev as Chief Operating Officer (GM Dec. 15, 2023).
Privately-owned Novaphos (formerly JDCPhosphate) has developed technology allowing the use of low-quality phosphate rock to make high-quality phosphoric acid. It says the process is scalable, energy-efficient, and produces a useful construction aggregate byproduct – J-Rox™ – instead of phosphogypsum.