A new basic burning raw material for simultaneous stabilization/solidification of PO43--P and F- in phosphogypsum

Abstract

Phosphogypsum (PG) contains a lot of soluble phosphate (PO₄^3--P) and fluorine ion (F^-), which seriously has hindered the sustainable development of the phosphorous chemical industry. In this study, a new burning raw material (BRM) as an intermediate product in the cement production process was used for PO₄^3--P and F^- stabilize in PG. The stabilizing mechanism of PO₄^3--P and F^- were investigated by Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray spectroscopy system (XPS). The effect of PG and BRM weight ratio, solid-to-liquid ratio, reaction time, and reaction temperature on the concentrations of PO₄^3--P and F^- were studied. The results showed that the concentration of F^- in the PG leaching solution was 8.65 mg/L and the stabilizing efficiency of PO₄^3--P was 99.78%, as well as the pH of the PG leaching solution was 8.12 when the weight ratio of PG and BRM was 100:2, and the solid to liquid ratio was 4:1, reacting for 24 h at the temperature of 30 ℃. PO₄^3--P and F^- were mostly solidified as Ca₅(PO₄)₃F, CaPO₃(OH), Ca₅(PO₄)₃(OH), Ca₂P₂O₇·2H₂O, CaSO₄PO₃(OH)·4H₂O, CaF₂, and CaFPO₃·2H₂O. Leaching test results indicated that the concentrations of PO₄^3--P, F^- and heavy metals were less than the integrated wastewater discharge standard (GB8978-1996). This study provides a new harmless treatment method for PG.

Keywords: F(-); PO(4)(3-)-P; Phosphogypsum, Burning raw material; Solidification/stabilization.