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Sustainable Tailings Management in Sedimentary Phosphate Beneficiation: A KPI-Oriented Literature Review and Gap Analysis
Subject area: Physical Sciences and Environment · Area of research: Sustainable Mine Tailings Management
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I9-1715312
Abstract
Sedimentary phosphate ore processing produces large amounts of fine phosphate tailings and washing sludges that create a number of problems in phosphate ore processing plants. Sedimentary phosphate ore processing tailings are known to create problems such as high water retention capacity, slow settlement rates, and intricate geochemical composition that may include ecologically hazardous elements like cadmium, uranium, and arsenic. Most of the research in phosphate ore processing has concentrated on increasing the efficiency of individual operations in phosphate ore processing plants, such as flotation, thickening, and tailings deposition, without considering the integration of the phosphate ore processing plant and mine tailings management system. As a result, decision support tools that integrate operation performance and sustainability in phosphate ore processing and tailings management have not been well explored in phosphate ore processing plants. This paper presents a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) literature review and gap analysis on sustainable tailings management in sedimentary phosphate ore processing. This paper aims to provide a literature review and gap analysis based on various literature works and provide an approach to improving operational performance using Key Performance Indicators (KPI). The Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) identified in this paper are grade optimization and efficiency improvement in order to increase the life of phosphate ore processing plants, thickener water recovery optimization using improved underflow density and water clarity in thickener overflow, and tailings deposition to reduce Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) risk and structural stability. Sustainability in phosphate ore processing and tailings management is another constraint identified in this paper as it is one of the cross-cutting issues related to Key Performance Indicator (KPI). A structured gap matrix has also been presented in this paper to identify gaps in the literature and provide quantified validation methods. The integrated Key Performance Indicator (KPI) approach is presented in this paper as future research with emphasis on plant-scale validation, dynamic water mass modeling, and Key Performance Indicator (KPI) dashboards with auditable sustainability metrics in accordance with current tailings management practices.
Keywords
Phosphate Beneficiation; Sedimentary Phosphorite; Tailings Management; KPI Framework; Thickener Water Recovery; Tailings Storage Facility; Circular Economy; ESG Governance
How to cite this paper
@article{1715312,
author = {Mohammad Zahid Ahmad},
title = {Sustainable Tailings Management in Sedimentary Phosphate Beneficiation: A KPI-Oriented Literature Review and Gap Analysis},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {9},
number = {9},
pages = {2087-2100},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1715312.pdf},
abstract = {Sedimentary phosphate ore processing produces large amounts of fine phosphate tailings and washing sludges that create a number of problems in phosphate ore processing plants. Sedimentary phosphate ore processing tailings are known to create problems such as high water retention capacity, slow settlement rates, and intricate geochemical composition that may include ecologically hazardous elements like cadmium, uranium, and arsenic. Most of the research in phosphate ore processing has concentrated on increasing the efficiency of individual operations in phosphate ore processing plants, such as flotation, thickening, and tailings deposition, without considering the integration of the phosphate ore processing plant and mine tailings management system. As a result, decision support tools that integrate operation performance and sustainability in phosphate ore processing and tailings management have not been well explored in phosphate ore processing plants. This paper presents a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) literature review and gap analysis on sustainable tailings management in sedimentary phosphate ore processing. This paper aims to provide a literature review and gap analysis based on various literature works and provide an approach to improving operational performance using Key Performance Indicators (KPI). The Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) identified in this paper are grade optimization and efficiency improvement in order to increase the life of phosphate ore processing plants, thickener water recovery optimization using improved underflow density and water clarity in thickener overflow, and tailings deposition to reduce Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) risk and structural stability. Sustainability in phosphate ore processing and tailings management is another constraint identified in this paper as it is one of the cross-cutting issues related to Key Performance Indicator (KPI). A structured gap matrix has also been presented in this paper to identify gaps in the literature and provide quantified validation methods. The integrated Key Performance Indicator (KPI) approach is presented in this paper as future research with emphasis on plant-scale validation, dynamic water mass modeling, and Key Performance Indicator (KPI) dashboards with auditable sustainability metrics in accordance with current tailings management practices.},
keywords = {Phosphate Beneficiation; Sedimentary Phosphorite; Tailings Management; KPI Framework; Thickener Water Recovery; Tailings Storage Facility; Circular Economy; ESG Governance},
month = {March},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I9-1715312}
}