Properties, Purification, and Applications of Phosphogypsum: A Comprehensive Review Towards Circular Economy

Phosphogypsum (PG) is a by-product produced during the wet process of phosphoric acid (H 3 PO 4 ) production from natural phosphate rocks. Approximately 4–6 tons of PG is produced per ton of phosphoric acid production, where worldwide PG generation exceeds 300 million tons annually. The vast majority of produced PG is discarded irresponsibly, leading to significant environmental and health consequences. Thus, PG storage has led to having stockpiles in excess of 6 billion tons worldwide which urged governments to find methods for utilization. Thus, in this review, the researchers have conducted a comprehensive examination of properties, purification technologies, and applications. Under the context of circular economy, PG could be a mineral resource of secondary raw materials. The amount of PG produced and stockpiled in various countries is reported. Evaluation of PG characteristics in different countries and the various applications of PG which include cement industry, ceramic and brick production, agricultural applications, and rare element recovery conversion are reported in this study. The outcome of this study could be valuable for future studies and benefit researchers and industries working on the properties and purification of PG and its utilization. Graphical Abstract