Low temperature and highly-efficient one-step decomposition of phosphogypsum via biochar by Fe/Co/Ni unitary/ternary catalyst.

Phosphogypsum (PG), which has great environmental harm and restricts the sustainable development of phosphorus chemical industry, is a solid waste produced in phosphoric acid production. Thermal decomposition of PG is an extensive way to reutilization of resource, and the key point is to establish an appropriate decomposition path and catalyst system of PG. In the work, the strategy for low-temperature and highly-efficient decomposition of PG is established based on the thermodynamic analysis and the experimental research by metal ions to reduce the decomposition temperature. Meanwhile, SEM(Scanning Electron Microscope) is used to characterize the composition and morphology of PG in the various conditions, also the decomposition temperature is analyzed by TGA(Thermogravimetric Analysis). Then, the decomposition ratio via Fe/Co/Ni unitary/ternary catalyst is obtained by precipitation method. Through kinetic analysis combined with XRF(X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer) and EDX(Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy) results, it is found that there is a reaction competition in the decomposition process by Fe/Co/Ni ternary catalyst. Further the mechanism of catalytic system on PG is derived. The present work can be concluded that Fe/Co/Ni can effectively reduce the decomposition temperature of PG, and the effect of ternary metal is more obvious than that of unitary metal. Finally, pomelo peel is used instead of coke to successfully decompose PG at low temperature by one step method. The establishment of low temperature decomposition system of PG has potential application in phosphorus chemical industry and is in line with sustainable development.