The largest vertically integrated phosphate mine and chemical facility in the world, Aurora is a producer of phosphoric acid, the feedstock for phosphate products. It has a mine, mill and processing complex in Beaufort County, North Carolina with storage facilities located at Aurora and at the North Carolina State Ports Authority in Morehead City, on the Atlantic Ocean. Aurora has an annual capacity of 6.6 million tonnes of phosphate rock, 1.325 million P2O5 tonnes of phosphoric acid and 0.175 million tons of phosphate feed, with approximately 1,071 employees.

The phosphates at Aurora were deposited when the sea receded 15 million years ago. Bucket wheel excavators remove the top 11 meters (36 feet) of overburden and convey it from the active mining area to the mined-out pit. The remaining 18 to 21 meters (60 to 70 feet) of overburden is removed with draglines to expose the phosphate ore.

The draglines then mine the ore and place it adjacent to the ore slurry pumping system. It is mixed with water for slurry transport to the mill, where coarse materials, clays and sand are removed during the beneficiation process.

Sulfuric acid is produced on site and is mixed with the phosphate rock to produce phosphoric acid. Aurora produces amber and green merchant grade acid (MGA), green superphosphoric acid, diammonium phosphate fertilizer, monoammonium phosphate fertilizer, ammonium polyphosphate solution and purified acid from this phosphoric acid.

Transportation:
Waterways – The complex is located on a navigable waterway close to the deepwater port of Morehead City. It includes a barge slip with bulk-carrying barges.

Rail – A 50-kilometer (31-mile) railroad spur connects the complex to the two main US railways, the Norfolk Southern and CSX.

Road – All trucks (meeting DOT regulations) can be loaded with liquid or dry product 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Uses:
PotashCorp is the most diversified of any phosphate producer. It produces liquid fertilizers, solid fertilizers, animal feed supplements and industrial phosphates. Purified phosphoric acid is used in food and beverage products, metal treatment and electronics. If you've had a soft drink recently, you've used a product that contains phosphate.

Markets:
PotashCorp's phosphate products are sold in North America. This market is the biggest user of phosphates, primarily in the form of fertilizers that benefit crops as diverse as corn, wheat, oranges, soybeans and cotton. It also uses the largest quantities of phosphates in industry and animal nutrition.