Research Progress on Resource Utilization of Phosphate Tailings
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62051/Keywords:
Phosphate tailings; Resource utilization; Solid waste disposal; Circular economy.Abstract
As a non-renewable strategic mineral resource, phosphate ore is the core raw material for phosphate fertilizer production, new material manufacturing and other fields. The high proportion of low and medium-grade phosphate ore in China leads to an annual emission of phosphate tailings (PT) exceeding 10 million tons, with a huge cumulative stockpile and low comprehensive utilization rate. The environmental and safety problems such as water pollution and geological hazards caused by stockpiling have become increasingly prominent. Under the requirements of the “dual carbon” strategy and circular economy development, the transformation of PT from stockpiling disposal to efficient resource utilization has become an inevitable trend. PT is rich in valuable components such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and silicon. At present, its resource utilization has formed four core technical paths: recovery of valuable elements, building material utilization, agricultural conversion, and preparation of environmental functional materials, showing good application potential in fields such as bulk consumption, nutrient reuse and pollution control. However, it still faces industrialization bottlenecks such as complex processes, low added value and poor adaptability of soil application. This paper systematically sorts out the current situation of PT generation and disposal, the environmental risks of traditional disposal, and the research progress of various resource utilization technologies, analyzes the advantages and limitations of different technical paths, and looks forward to its development direction of synergization, high-valueization, greenization and intelligence, in order to provide reference for the technological innovation and industrial landing of efficient resource utilization of PT and the construction of a closed-loop industrial chain.
References
REFERENCES
[1] Wu, F., Ren, Y., Chen, D., et al. (2025). Recovery methods and application prospects of transition metals from bulk solid waste generated in the phosphorus chemical and vanadium titanium industries. Separation and Purification Technology, 375, 133836. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2025.133836
[2] Erraihani, K., Taha, Y., Bouhlali, N., et al. (2026). Assessing the potential of phosphate mine tailings through advanced characterization and spatial modelling. Minerals Engineering, 238, 110046. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mineng.2025.110046
[3] Zhou, Q., Gong, K., Zhou, K., et al. (2019). Synergistic effect between phosphorus tailings and aluminum hypophosphite in flame-retardant thermoplastic polyurethane composites. Polymers for Advanced Technologies, 30, 2480-2487. https://doi.org/10.1002/pat.4695
[4] Yu, Y., Du, C. (2023). Leaching of phosphorus from phosphate tailings and extraction of calcium phosphates: Toward comprehensive utilization of tailing resources. Journal of Environmental Management, 347, 119159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119159
[5] Wang, Y., Qi, M., Yang, C., et al. (2025). Biochar and Phosphogypsum in agricultural soils: individual roles, combined potentials, and future prospects. Pedosphere, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedsph.2025.09.009
[6] Zhang, J., Jian, C., Meng, L., et al. (2026). Catalytic role of LiCl in the partial decomposition of phosphate tailings: experimental and theoretical calculations. Chemical Engineering Journal, 529, 172881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2026.172881
[7] Deng, S., Hou, Y., Liu, Z., et al. (2025). Novel thermal modification of phosphate tailings for enhanced heavy metals immobilization in soil. Environmental Research, 286, 122796. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2025.122796
[8] Zheng, K., Zhou, J., Gbozee, M. (2015). Influences of phosphate tailings on hydration and properties of Portland cement. Construction and Building Materials, 98, 593-601. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2015.08.115
[9] Jiang, L., Li, J., Zhang, Q., et al. (2024). Influence of phosphorus tailings fineness on the hydration process and physical properties of ordinary Portland cement. Construction and Building Materials, 417, 135349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2024.135349
[10] Ma, Z., Li, D., Yue, S., et al. (2025). Separation of calcium and magnesium from phosphorus tailings by the integrated CO2 absorption-mineralization process. Separation and Purification Technology, 364, 132534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132534
[11] Hu, N., Lv, Y., Luo, B., et al. (2023). Preparation and performance of porous ceramsite for Ag+ removal in sewage treatment with total phosphorus tailings. Journal of Cleaner Production, 413, 137515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.137515
[12] Raiymbekov, Y., Abdurazova, P., Nazarbek, U. (2023). Enrichment of low-grade phosphorites by the selective leaching method. Green Processing and Synthesis, 12, doi:10.1515/gps-2022-8150
[13] Ding, S., Yin, L., Zhang, T., et al. (2025). Resource utilization of phosphate tailings by calcination and leaching with dilute H3PO4 solution. Minerals Engineering, 222, 109172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mineng.2024.109172
[14] Anawati, J., Azimi, G. (2020). Recovery and separation of phosphorus as dicalcium phosphate dihydrate for fertilizer and livestock feed additive production from a low-grade phosphate ore. RSC Adv, 10, 38640-38653. 10.1039/d0ra07210a
[15] Gu, K., Chen, B., Yan, P., et al. (2022). Recycling of phosphate tailings and acid wastewater from phosphorus chemical industrial chain to prepare a high value-added magnesium oxysulfate cement. Journal of Cleaner Production, 369, 133343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.133343
[16] Liu, Y., Hu, N., Yang, S., et al. (2025). The hydration behavior and foaming mechanism of foamed concrete prepared by substantial amounts of phosphate tailings. Construction and Building Materials, 472, 140799. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2025.140799
[17] Yu, J., Qian, J., Wang, F., et al. (2020). Preparation and properties of a magnesium phosphate cement with dolomite. Cement and Concrete Research, 138, 106235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2020.106235
[18] Liu, Y., Jiang, L., Li, J., et al. (2024). Study on the Performance and Hydration Mechanism of Concrete Incorporating Phosphorus Tailings. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 36, 04024281. 10.1061/JMCEE7.MTENG-17946
[19] Dong, B., Wang, R., Xi, S., et al. (2025). Transforming glyphosate mother liquor into zirconium‑phosphorus composite adsorbent for effective Pb (II) removal from lead‑zinc tailing leachate. Journal of Water Process Engineering, 80, 109219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2025.109219
[20] Zheng, J. G., Yu, N. S., Liu, Y. X., et al. (2019). Experimental study on synthesis of new slow-release fertilizer calcium magnesium polyphosphate from phosphate tailings. Industrial Minerals and Processing, 48(7), 64-67+71. https://doi.org/10.16283/j.cnki.hgkwyjg.2019.07.017
[21] Sun, P., Yu, Y., Zhang, H. Q., et al. (2024). Application of phosphate tailings in compound fertilizer. Phosphate & Compound Fertilizer, 39, 20-22.
[22] Han, R., Leng, H., Luo, H., et al. (2025). Turning waste into treasure: Preparation, physical properties and microstructure of alkali-activated phosphorus tailings-based fully solid waste non-sintered lightweight aggregates. Journal of Cleaner Production, 527, 146693. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.146693
[23] Park, B. J., Nam, S. H., Jeong, S. S., et al. (2026). Valorization of phosphogypsum into carbon-neutral lime for soil lead immobilization. Environmental Technology & Innovation, 42, 104879. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eti.2026.104879
[24] Guillén, J., Salas, A., Muñoz-Muñoz, J. G. (2025). Assessment of the radiological environmental impact of using phosphogypsum as soil amendment: soil availability modification and radiological impact evaluation. Chemosphere, 387, 144647. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2025.144647
[25] Marata, T. V., Al-Juboori, R. A., Hossain Bhuyan, M. A., et al. (2025). Valorization of mine tailings for the removal of phosphates and ammonium from Wastewater: Toward nutrient recovery. Journal of Environmental Management, 394, 127254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127254
[26] Zhang, H., Wang, X., Zhao, X., et al. (2022). Dolomite as a low-cost peroxymonosulfate activator for the efficient degradation of tetracycline: Performance, mechanism and toxicity evolution. Journal of Water Process Engineering, 49, 103110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2022.103110
[27] Liu, A., Feng, L. J., Ou, Y., et al. (2024). Competitive adsorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on phosphorus tailing-modified sludge biochar provides mechanistic insights. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 46, 497. 10.1007/s10653-024-02283-x
[28] Jiang, W., Jiang, Y., Li, P., et al. (2023). Reuse of phosphogypsum and phosphorus ore flotation tailings as adsorbent: The adsorption performance and mechanism of phosphate. Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids, 178, 111313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpcs.2023.111313
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Xuemin Xie
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
