High-Value Utilization of Phosphate Tailings: Phosphorus Recovery and In-Situ Synthesis of Layered Double Hydroxides for Stable Immobilization of Heavy Metals.

Recycling phosphate tailings through acid leaching and synthesis yields nearly 100% phosphorus recovery and creates a layered double hydroxide with high heavy metal immobilization capacity.

• Why it matters: Addressing environmental pollution from phosphate tailings and promoting circular economy practices require effective resource utilization and heavy metal stabilization methods.
• What they did: The study employed an integrated acid leaching-precipitation-synthesis approach, achieving high phosphorus extraction and synthesizing PLDH with capacities exceeding 340 mg/g for heavy metals like Cd, Cu, Zn, and Pb.
• The result: PLDH effectively immobilized heavy metals, reduced their bioavailability, and showed no phytotoxicity, demonstrating its potential for soil remediation and industrial application, supported by positive economic analysis.