PROCESS FOR RECOVERING PHOSPHORIC ACID FROM SOLID PHOSPHORUS SOURCES

The invention pertains to a process for preparing phosphoric acid from a solid phosphorus-containing material, comprising the steps of: - reacting a solid phosphorus-containing material with strong acid in an amount of 1.0-15 mole acid, calculated as protons, per mole of phosphorus (calculated as P) in the solid phosphorus-containing material in a monophasic reaction medium comprising an organic solvent, to form a solution of phosphoric acid in organic solvent and remaining solid material, - separating the solution of phosphoric acid in organic solvent from the remaining solid material. It has been found that phosphoric acid can be recovered from a solid phosphorus-containing material in high purity and efficiency via a solid-state rearrangement/elution process. The process according to the invention does not require the use of the large amounts of water required by the conventional dissolution/extraction processes known in the art. The solution of phosphoric acid in organic solvent can be used as a starting material for further processes.