Thermal Study of Tunisian Phosphogypsum for Use in Reinforced Plaster
Nabawia Mechi
Laboratory of Materials, Environment and Energy, Faculty of Sciences of Gafsa, University of Gafsa, Tunisia
Mohamed Ammar *
Laboratory of Materials, Environment and Energy, Faculty of Sciences of Gafsa, University of Gafsa, Tunisia.
Mouna Loungou
Tunisain Chemical Group (GCT), M’dhilla, Gafsa, Tunisia
Elimame Elaloui
Laboratory of Materials, Environment and Energy, Faculty of Sciences of Gafsa, University of Gafsa, Tunisia
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This work presents a promising way to investigate the valorization of natural residual from Tunisian industrial wastes. In fact, large quantities of phosphogypsum which are obtained from Tunisian Chemical Group "TCG" are accumulated every year in Tunisia. The rational valorization of these available renewable resources fits very well with the recent sustainable approach, established nowadays. This work aims at ascertaining the chemical composition of this inorganic residue and structural characterization for use as a reinforced plaster.
Several thermal treatments from 100°C to 800°C were established to prepare from phosphogypsum various qualities of this material to be characterized by numerous techniques such as the FTIR, XRD, SEM, DSC, DTG and TGA in order to apply in potential application. Calcination temperature that gave the best value for the beginning and the end of setting was 200°C. The experimental tests showed height values of flexural strength for thecalcined PG at 200°C (0.45 MPa).
Keywords: Phosphogypsum, thermal treatments, thermo gravimetric analysis, setting time