Abstract
Phosphogypsum is a by-product of the phosphorus fertilizer production process and is typically stacked at the production sites. These stacks can potentially pose environmental hazards, which can be substantially reduced through reclamation by capping with soil and revegetation upon decommissioning. We conducted a study on a phosphogypsum stack using five soil capping depths (8, 15, 30, 46, 91 cm), an uncapped treatment, and five vegetation treatments (monocultures of four grass species Agrostis stolonifera L., Festuca ovina L., Deschampsia caespitosa (L.) Beauv., Agropyron trachycaulum (Link) Malte ex H.F. Lewis and one mix of the four species with Trifolium hybridum L.) to assess plant growth, health, rooting characteristics, and trace element uptake. Cobalt and nickel concentrations in plant tissue from plots with ≥ 15 cm soil capping were within ranges found at reference sites, whereas fluorine was three times elevated. Vegetation cover was significantly greater on capped than uncapped plots, being greatest for Agropyron trachycaulum (26%) and Festuca ovina (26%). Capping depths ≥ 15 cm had greater cover, biomass, and healthy plants than the 8 cm cover. Soil water content was similar in the 15–46 cm capping depth, with the lowest in the 91-cm caps. Fluorine, cobalt, and nickel were elevated in select plant tissue samples on the research plots relative to references, and cap depth affected tissue fluorine and cobalt concentrations but not nickel. Concentrations of these trace elements were lower than maximum tolerable levels for animal consumption. From this 5-year study, Agropyron trachycaulum and Festuca ovina and a soil cover depth of ≥ 15 cm are recommended for reclamation of phosphogypsum stacks.
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The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to copyright issue.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Dr. Miles Dyck, Andre Christensen, and Dick Purveen for technical support with field and lab work. Parts of the text have been previously published as partial requirements for the MSc thesis of Lenore E. Turner (previously Elizabeth (Lenore) Turner) at University of Alberta.
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This research was funded by the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), industrial postgraduate scholarship, and Agrium.
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The study conception and design were contributed by M. Anne Naeth, David Chanasyk, and Connie Nichol. Material preparation and data collection were performed by Lenore Turner. Data analysis was performed by Lenore Turner and Amalesh Dhar. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Amalesh Dhar, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Turner, L.E., Dhar, A., Naeth, M.A. et al. Effect of soil capping depth on phosphogypsum stack revegetation. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 50166–50176 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19420-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19420-7