Better filterability and reduced radioactivity of phosphogypsum during phosphoric acid production in Morocco using a fly ash waste and pure silica additive

Arhouni, Fatima Ezzahra; Hakkar, Mohammed; Mahrou, Ahmed; Belahbib, Laila; Mazouz, Hamid; Haneklaus, Nils; Pavón, Sandra; Bertau, Martin; Boukhair, Aziz; Ouakkas, Saad; Abdo, Maged A. S.; Benjellοun, Mohammed

doi:10.1007/s10967-022-08235-y

Cited by 14 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…To comprehensively grasp the radiological and chemical attributes of phosphogypsum, a diverse array of analytical methods is essential, e.g., gamma and alpha spectrometry techniques for radioisotopes and mass spectrometry for other elements. Polish phosphogypsum from the former Chemical Wizów Plant is notable for its low radioactivity, because it predominantly originates from the processing of Kola Peninsula apatite [9,10]. Apatite belongs to igneous phosphates, which are characterized not only by a very low content of radioactive elements, but also by a higher concentration of REEs (approximately 1%) than sedimentary phosphate rocks.…”

Section: Chemical and Radiochemical Characterization Of Phosphogypsum...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical and radiochemical characterization of phosphogypsum from Poland

Maina,

Kiegiel,

Chajduk

et al. 2024

Nukleonika

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The current study presents the results of the chemical and the radiochemical characterization of phosphogypsum obtained from the former Wizów Chemical Plant in Poland. Phosphogypsum is a residue obtained from phosphoric acid production. Phosphogypsum mainly contains calcium sulfate dihydrate and impurities originating from the source phosphate rock, including toxic trace elements and natural radionuclides. The phosphogypsum stacks occupy a large area and are an environmental issue today. The project “Phosphogypsum Processing to Critical Raw Materials”, currently realized at the Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, focuses on the use of phosphogypsum from the Polish stacks as material to recover rare earth elements (REEs). The remaining gypsum matrix can be used as an inexpensive material in construction. The chemical and radiological characterization of the radioactive isotopes present in phosphogypsum was performed by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and the gamma spectrometry technique. The radioactivity of the Polish phosphogypsum was then compared with the radioactivity of the phosphogypsum waste present worldwide.

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Section: Chemical and Radiochemical Characterization Of Phosphogypsum...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical and radiochemical characterization of phosphogypsum from Poland

Maina,

Kiegiel,

Chajduk

et al. 2024

Nukleonika

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“…The mined phosphate rock is further processed into the required product by the WPA process, with PG as a by-product. The radionuclides that can occur naturally in the phosphate rock are transferred to PG, leading to the PG containing trace amounts of radioactive elements ( Arhouni et al., 2022 ). The radioactivity is mainly from 238U, 232Th and 226Ra ( Saadaoui et al., 2017 ).…”

Section: Properties Of Pgmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The trace amounts of radionuclides in PG have led to slow growth in its reuse worldwide ( Willey and Timbs, 2022 ). Global researchers are currently working to reduce the radionuclide content of PG to a safe level ( Arhouni et al., 2022 ). Most PG is used for traditional purposes, but in recent years researchers have become interested in extracting rare earth elements (REEs) from PG.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recycling phosphogypsum in road construction materials and associated environmental considerations: A review

Men¹,

Li²,

Cheng³

et al. 2022

Heliyon

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“…Thus, long-term applications of P fertilizers can increase U loads in agricultural soils. The concentration of U in P fertilizers depends on the type and origin of the PR used in fertilizer production and, to a lesser degree, the production process that decides how much of this U transfers to the final fertilizer product [8]. In addition, impurities in the used industrial sulfuric acid can introduce additional impurities.…”

Section: Introduction 1background Informationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Uranium Dissemination with Phosphate Fertilizers Globally: A Systematic Review with Focus on East Africa

Mwalongo,

Haneklaus,

Lisuma

et al. 2024

Sustainability

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Growing concern has been expressed about uranium (U) accumulation in agricultural soils caused by the long-term application of mineral fertilizers. More than 80% of naturally occurring U transfers from phosphate rock (PR), the raw material used in mineral fertilizer production, to phosphorus (P) fertilizers. These fertilizers are then distributed on agricultural soils, where the U could accumulate over time and become a risk to the environment. The objective of this work was to review the reported content of U in P fertilizers, its potential dispersion in soils, and its uptake by plants in different countries in the world as reported in the literature. The articles for this systematic review were selected from the Scopus database published between 2003 and 2022. The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) protocol were used. A total of 54 articles were assessed based on the standard inclusion and exclusion criteria. U concentrations in P fertilizers, agricultural soil dissemination, and plant uptake for available data were obtained and assessed. In order to compare a set of related data from the collected articles, box and whisker plots showing the distribution of U in P fertilizers are presented by region. The results from the reviewed articles show that the U concentrations in P fertilizer were in the range of 0.1–653 mg kg−1. Interestingly, Minjingu P fertilizers from Tanzania, which are used in six East African countries, showed the highest U concentrations (159 to 653 mg kg−1, average 390 mg kg−1). The reported U concentrations for these fertilizers are, in fact, comparable to those of conventional low-grade uranium deposits mined in Namibia and elsewhere. Additionally, approximately 96% of the reviewed articles indicate that fertilized soil has higher U concentrations than non-fertilized soils, hinting at a measurable effect of mineral fertilizer use. The review recommends U extraction during mineral fertilizer production so that potential environmental risks can be reduced and U resources that would otherwise be lost can be recovered and used to substitute conventional U mining elsewhere.

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Better filterability and reduced radioactivity of phosphogypsum during phosphoric acid production in Morocco using a fly ash waste and pure silica additive

Cited by 14 publications

References 35 publications

Chemical and radiochemical characterization of phosphogypsum from Poland

Chemical and radiochemical characterization of phosphogypsum from Poland

Recycling phosphogypsum in road construction materials and associated environmental considerations: A review

Uranium Dissemination with Phosphate Fertilizers Globally: A Systematic Review with Focus on East Africa

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