Characterization of phosphate rock and phosphogypsum from Gabes phosphate fertilizer factories (SE Tunisia): high mining potential and implications for environmental protection

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 25; no. 15; pp. 14690 - 14702
• Main Authors: El Zrelli, Radhouan, Rabaoui, Lotfi, Daghbouj, Nabil, Abda, Heithem, Castet, Sylvie, Josse, Claudie, van Beek, Pieter, Souhaut, Marc, Michel, Sylvain, Bejaoui, Nejla, Courjault-Radé, Pierre
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-05-2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Apatite; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Cadmium; Calcite; Calcium Carbonate - analysis; Calcium Carbonate - chemistry; Calcium Sulfate - analysis; Calcium Sulfate - chemistry; Chemical analysis; Cities; Coastal environments; Conservation of Natural Resources; Contaminants; Dolomite; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental impact; Environmental Pollutants; Environmental protection; Environmental science; Fertilizers - analysis; Fluorapatite; Fluorite; Gypsum; Industrial plants; Magnesium; Marine chemistry; Marine environment; Marine pollution; Minerals; Mining; Morphology; Ores; Organic compounds; Phosphate; Phosphates; Phosphates - analysis; Phosphates - chemistry; Phosphogypsum; Phosphoric Acids - chemistry; Phosphorus - analysis; Phosphorus - chemistry; Pollutants; Pyrite; Research Article; Rocks; Sphalerite; Trace elements; Tunisia; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Zincblende; Tunisia; Cities; Waste valorization; Phosphogypsum; Mining potential; Phosphate rock; Tunisian Chemical Group; Gulf of Gabes
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-1648-4

Since the establishment of the coastal industrial complex in Gabes city (Gulf of Gabes, SE Tunisia), hundred million tons of untreated phosphogypsum have been discharged in the open sea causing serious environmental problems. To better understand the dynamic and behavior of phosphate/phosphogypsum contaminants from raw ores to marine environment, a chemical, organic, mineralogical, and morphological characterization of phosphate rock and phosphogypsum was conducted using several sophisticated techniques. The chemical analysis showed that phosphate and phosphogypsum contain high loads of trace elements and that the transfer factors of pollutants varied from 5.83% (U) to 140% (Hg). Estimated annual flows of phosphogypsum contaminants into the marine environment ranged between 0.05 (Re) and 87,249.60 (F) tons. The phosphate rock was found to be formed by carbonate fluorapatite, calcite, dolomite, natural gypsum, quartz, calcite-Mg, apatite, pyrite, fluorite, and sphalerite-Cd and phosphogypsum by synthetic gypsum and sphalerite-Cd. The phosphate was found to be richer in organic compounds compared to phosphogypsum. Based on this work, the Tunisian phosphogypsum has a high mining potential and encourages the development of an economically beneficial and environmentally friendly phosphogypsum-treating industry.