Advancing Sustainable Dewatering of Fine Phosphate Tailings: Evaluating Xanthan Gum, Sodium Alginate, and Carboxymethyl Cellulose as Flocculating Agents

IF 11.4 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Water Research Pub Date : 2025-03-21 DOI:10.1016/j.watres.2025.123526

Abdelilah BERGANI, Yassine AIT-KHOUIA, Asmae EL-BAHI, Rachid HAKKOU, Mostafa BENZAAZOUA, Yassine TAHA

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Abstract

The management of fine phosphate tailings (FPTs) presents critical environmental and operational challenges, including excessive water loss, dam stability risks, and dependence on synthetic flocculants with environmental concerns. The use of biobased polymers for dewatering offers a sustainable alternative by sustaining tailings management, improving water recovery, and reducing chemical impact on ecosystems. This study systematically evaluates the performance of three eco-friendly flocculants, xanthan gum (XG), sodium alginate (SA), and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), as viable substitutes for synthetic polymers in FPTs dewatering. A comprehensive experimental approach was adopted, assessing settling kinetics, water recovery, and supernatant quality, while elucidating flocculant adsorption mechanisms using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, zeta potential analysis, and adsorption isotherms. Results demonstrate that CMC exhibits the highest dewatering efficiency, achieving the highest water recovery (82.8%), fastest sedimentation rates (5.8 cm/min), and the clearest supernatant (1.2 NTU) due to its strong interactions and complexation with mineral surfaces. This study provides new insights into polymer-mineral interactions, establishing biobased flocculants as a scalable and environmentally responsible solution. By offering a high-performance alternative to synthetic chemicals, these findings contribute to the advancement of green technologies in mining, supporting sustainable tailings management, water conservation, and reduced chemical dependency, in alignment with global sustainability objectives for eco-friendly mineral processing.

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来源期刊

Water Research 环境科学-工程：环境

CiteScore

20.80

自引率

9.40%

发文量

1307

审稿时长

38 days

期刊介绍： Water Research, along with its open access companion journal Water Research X, serves as a platform for publishing original research papers covering various aspects of the science and technology related to the anthropogenic water cycle, water quality, and its management worldwide. The audience targeted by the journal comprises biologists, chemical engineers, chemists, civil engineers, environmental engineers, limnologists, and microbiologists. The scope of the journal include: •Treatment processes for water and wastewaters (municipal, agricultural, industrial, and on-site treatment), including resource recovery and residuals management; •Urban hydrology including sewer systems, stormwater management, and green infrastructure; •Drinking water treatment and distribution; •Potable and non-potable water reuse; •Sanitation, public health, and risk assessment; •Anaerobic digestion, solid and hazardous waste management, including source characterization and the effects and control of leachates and gaseous emissions; •Contaminants (chemical, microbial, anthropogenic particles such as nanoparticles or microplastics) and related water quality sensing, monitoring, fate, and assessment; •Anthropogenic impacts on inland, tidal, coastal and urban waters, focusing on surface and ground waters, and point and non-point sources of pollution; •Environmental restoration, linked to surface water, groundwater and groundwater remediation; •Analysis of the interfaces between sediments and water, and between water and atmosphere, focusing specifically on anthropogenic impacts; •Mathematical modelling, systems analysis, machine learning, and beneficial use of big data related to the anthropogenic water cycle; •Socio-economic, policy, and regulations studies.