Complex processing of phosphogypsum

The raw material base for many branches of the chemical industry is depleting; the issue of involving in the production of both raw materials with a low content of useful components and industrial waste becomes more and more urgent. Waste from production falls as a dead load on the cost of production of enterprises and often gives rise to a number of difficult-to-solve problems. This also applies to phosphogypsum ,i. e. a large-tonnage waste from the production of phosphoric acid by the sulfuric acid method. Phosphogypsum contains elements such as Ca, Mg, F, P, Si, Sr and rare earth elements. Secondary waste generated in this case is of limited demand and is practically not used. The complex composition of phosphogypsum as a raw material for the chemical industry should be considered as an opportunity to reduce mining, provided that the valuable components that make up its composition are maximally extracted from it into marketable products. The problem can be successfully solved using the technology of complex processing. Complex processing can be conditionally divided into three stages: obtaining ammonium sulfate or sodium sulfate; concentrate of rare earth elements; calcium silicate or calcium carbonate. Phosphogypsum processing is aimed at solving environmental problems that exist during its storage in dumps at phosphate fertilizer enterprises; at the same time, the negative impact of phosphogypsum components on the environment is reduced.