Conversion of recovered phosphorus tailings into high-value lightweight ceramic materials and evaluation of environmental safety

In recent years, the substantial production and underutilization of phosphorus tailings have prompted an intensified search for innovative strategies to mitigate their accumulation and the associated hazards they present. This investigation the utilization of phosphorus tailings as a raw material for the cost-effective production of lightweight ceramic materials using the foaming-gel casting method. The impact of the stirring process on lightweight ceramic materials was investigated, encompassing mineral composition, pore structure, properties, and environmental safety assessment. The investigation utilized slurry volumetric foaming rate, XRD, SEM, ICPMS, and potential ecological risk index (RI) for analysis. The findings suggested that the lightweight ceramic material, obtained by stirring at 1300 rpm for 15 min, exhibited the densest structure and excellent properties. It had a porosity of 79.19%, a bulk density of 0.59 g/cm3, and a compressive strength of 6.08 MPa. Besides, the leaching concentration and RI of lightweight ceramic materials complied with national (GB 8978-1996) and US EPA standards. This study aimed to enhance the sustainable production capacity of lightweight ceramic materials and offered data support for the value-added application and performance optimization of phosphorus tailings in the production of lightweight ceramic materials.