Journal
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
Volume 11, Issue 3, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/app11031075
Keywords
phosphate industry; sludge; metals; mobility; batch tests
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Raw phosphates in the Gafsa-Metlaoui phosphate basin are processed through wet processes at the Gafsa Phosphates Company to reach market grades. The enrichment process increases the P2O5 content by removing coarse and fine fractions. Analysis of the materials from the laundries revealed different compositions and elements concentrations, with fine wastes being more polluted with Cd, Cr, Zn, Pb, U, and the rare earth elements.
The raw phosphates in the Gafsa-Metlaoui phosphate basin are valorized by wet processes that are performed in the laundries of the Gafsa Phosphates Company (CPG, Gafsa, Tunisia) to reach market grades (>28% P2O5). This enrichment process allows the increase of P2O5 content by the elimination of the coarse (>2 mm) and fine (<71 mu m) fractions. Mineralogical analysis has shown that all the investigated materials (raw phosphate, marketable phosphate, coarse waste, and fine waste) from the laundries of M'Dhilla-Zone L and Redeyef are both composed of carbonate fluorapatite, carbonates, quartz, gypsum, clays, and clinoptilolite. Chemical analysis shows that Cr, Cd, Zn, Pb, and U are concentrated in the fine wastes and associated with the clay-phosphate fraction. The rare earth elements are more concentrated in both raw and marketable phosphates. Drilling and sludge-water analysis, along with leaching tests conducted on the fine wastes, showed that, due to phosphate industry, cadmium, fluorine, and sulfate contributing to the pollution of water resources in the region, pollution is more conspicuous at M'Dhilla.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available