Work

Flash valorization of waste phosphogypsum enables simultaneous rare earth recovery and waste-derived sorbent production

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Phosphogypsum, a byproduct of phosphate fertilizer production with an annual global output of hundreds of millions of tonnes, poses both a serious environmental challenge and a promising secondary resource. However, current recycling methods often suffer from poor economic viability due to inefficient materials utilization and low-value product. Here, we present a rapid flash carbothermic reduction process for phosphogypsum valorization, enabling concurrent rare earth recovery and eco-materials synthesis. By blending phosphogypsum with conductive carbon and applying a pulsed current within seconds, it is converted into calcium sulfide. This transformation disrupts the phosphogypsum lattice, releasing rare earths, and coverting hard-to-dissolved rare earth species into highly solubel rare earth oxides or oxysulfides, thus allowing for high-yield recovery rate >96%. The resulting calcium sulfide product also functions as an effective adsorbent for heavy metal removal from wastewater, performing on par with commercial materials. Environmental and economic analyses suggest that this process can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by >83% and lower operating costs by >87% compared to other proof-of-concept approaches. Crucially, the comprehensive valorization of phosphogypsum offsets processing costs through the generation of value-added products, ultimately leading to net profitability. This integrated strategy offers a scalable and economically viable pathway contributing to industrial waste mitigation, critical metal resilience, and sustainable material production

Source: Cell Reports Sustainability

DOI: 10.1016/j.crsus.2026.100777