Valorisation diagnosis of waste from the decontamination of phosphogypsum leachates through a combined calcium carbonate/hydroxide process

Phosphogypsum is an industrial waste considered as naturally occurring radioactive material. Stack disposal and exposure to the environmental condition involve the production of acid leachates with high potential pollutant loads as heavy metals and radionuclides. In this study, a sequential neutrali...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Soto Cruz, Francisco Javier, Pérez Moreno, Silvia María, Ceccotti Rodríguez, Estefanía Inés, Barba Lobo, Alejandro, Bolívar Raya, Juan Pedro, Casas Ruiz, Melquiades, Gázquez González, Manuel Jesús
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Huelva (UHU)
Repositorio:Arias Montano. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ariasmontano.uhu.es:10272/23964
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10272/23964
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Phosphogypsum leachate
Neutralisation
NORM waste
Valorisation diagnosis
Environmental impact
33 Ciencias Tecnológicas
Descripción
Sumario:Phosphogypsum is an industrial waste considered as naturally occurring radioactive material. Stack disposal and exposure to the environmental condition involve the production of acid leachates with high potential pollutant loads as heavy metals and radionuclides. In this study, a sequential neutralisation process was applied for cleaning the generated releases, and the two obtained residues were characterised from the physical-chemical and radiological point of view before their valorisation. The cleaning process was made up of two steps: the first one using calcium carbonate until pH = 3.5, and the second one using calcium hydroxide until pH = 12. The residue obtained in the first step was mostly calcium fluoride, while in the second step most phosphates were precipitated, mainly as hydroxyapatite. The final liquid was treated to reduce pH lower than 9, which is the limit included in the current directive for discharges of liquid effluents into coastal waters. The main conclusion was that the solids from the first step could be valorised as an additive in the manufacture of commercial Portland cements and ceramics, while the solids from the second step could be used as raw material for the phosphoric acid manufacture.