RT Journal Article
T1 An anomalous metal-rich phosphogypsum: Characterization and classification according to international regulations
A1 Macías Suárez, Francisco
A1 Ruiz Cánovas, Carlos
A1 Cruz Hernández, Pablo
A1 Carrero Romero, Sergio
A1 Asta, M. P.
A1 Nieto Liñán, José Miguel
A1 Pérez López, Rafael
AB Phosphogypsum is the main waste generated by the phosphate fertilizer industry. Despite the high level of pollutants found in phosphogypsum and the proximity of stacks to cities, there are no specific regulations for the management of this waste. This study addresses this issue by applying to phosphogypsum, from a fertilizer plant in Huelva (SW Spain), the leaching tests proposed by the current European and US environmental regulations for wastes management and classification. Two main conclusions were obtained: 1) the anomalous metal and metalloid concentrations (e.g. As, Fe, Pb, Sb, Mn, V and Cu) and higher mobility observed in the Huelva phosphogypsum compared to other stacks worldwide, and 2) the discrepancies observed between EU and US regulations dealing with hazardousness classification of these materials. This latter finding suggests the need to use complementary assessment protocols to obtain a better characterization and classification of these wastes. An evaluation of the potential risk to the aquatic life according to the US EPA regulation is proposed in this study. The results warn about the acute and chronic effects on the aquatic life of this waste and suggest the adoption of more strict measures for a safe disposal of phosphogypsum stacks.
PB Elsevier
SN 0304-3894
SN 1873-3336 (electrónico)
YR 2017
FD 2017-02
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10272/23054
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10272/23054
LA eng
NO Macías, F., Cánovas, C. R., Cruz-Hernández, P., Carrero, S., Asta, M. P., Nieto, J. M., & Pérez-López, R. (2017). An anomalous metal-rich phosphogypsum: Characterization and classification according to international regulations. In Journal of Hazardous Materials (Vol. 331, pp. 99–108). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2017.02.015
NO This work was supported by the Government of Andalusia through the research project "Phosphogypsum: from the environmental assessment as a waste to its revaluation as a resource (P12-RNM-2260)". Authors also want to especially thank the funding support for the Experts Committee on “The environmental diagnosis and the proposal of restoration measures for the phosphogypsum stacks of Huelva”, appointed by the City Hall of Huelva. C.R Cánovas was funded by the European Union’s Seventh Framework Program, Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions (COFUND–Grant Agreement 291780) and the Ministry of Economy, Innovation, Science and Employment of the Junta de Andalucía. S. Carrero was supported by a research pre-doctoral fellowship AP2010-2117 (Spanish Ministry of Education, Spain). M.P. Asta has received economical support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through a Research Contract from the “Juan de la Cierva Subprogram”. We would also like to thank Dr. Diana S. Aga (Editor) and two anonymous reviewers for the support and comments that improved the quality of the original paper.
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 30 may 2026