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The Nucleation and Growth of Phosphate Minerals

  • Chapter
Phosphate Minerals

Abstract

The precipitation and dissolution of phosphate salts in aqueous systems is involved in biological mineralization, in the environment, as well as in a large number of industrial processes. The resurgence of interest in the crystallization of inorganic salts from aqueous solution in recent years has evolved because of its involvement in areas such as the removal of phosphate from waste water, the fate of elements such as aluminum, calcium, iron, and other heavy metals in the formation of lake and ocean sediments, and industrial cooling-tower systems where the formation of scale on heated metal surfaces is a continuing problem. Consideration of phosphate balances in lakes and rivers near heavily populated areas indicates that despite a continuous entry of phosphate ions, the phosphate concentration does not increase proportionately, indicating that at least some phosphate is removed by precipitation (Brown 1973). Since the concentration of metal ions such as calcium is also relatively high through the use of lime additions for the removal of phosphates from sewage, calcium phosphate precipitation may be of particular importance in such systems. In the lime additon process, an induction period usually precedes the formation of precipitate, and as much as 85%–90% of the phosphate can be removed in a recycling reactor at a pH of 8.0 (Ferguson et al. 1971). The use of reclaimed sewage as cooling water in many industrial processes results in conditions favoring the precipitation of metal phosphates. In order to be able to control the precipitation of these salts, it is essential to elucidate the mechanism of the nucleation and growth reaction. However, the crystallization process is still one of the least well understood phenomena in chemistry.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemistry Department, State University of New York, 14214, Buffalo, NY, USA

    George H. Nancollas

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  1. George H. Nancollas
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. National Water Research Institute, L7R 4A6, Burlington, Ontario, Canada

    Jerome O. Nriagu

  2. Department of Geophysical Science, University of Chicago, 60637, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    Paul B. Moore

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© 1984 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Nancollas, G.H. (1984). The Nucleation and Growth of Phosphate Minerals. In: Nriagu, J.O., Moore, P.B. (eds) Phosphate Minerals. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-61736-2_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-61736-2_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-61738-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-61736-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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