Roads from fertilizer waste will be massively built in Russia

Russia has prepared a comprehensive plan for the involvement of waste from the production of mineral fertilizers, phosphogypsum, in secondary circulation. Currently, such material is used in large construction projects only in certain regions, but after the adoption of the document, its use may become widespread, the Russian Environmental Operator (REO) told Izvestia on September 18. The plan has been prepared by REO specialists together with the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia — the draft government decree is already at the final stage of approval and will be submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers in the near future, the REO added.

The document stipulates that the scope of application of phosphogypsum will be expanded. It can be used in road construction, agriculture, and waste disposal facilities.

"Phosphogypsum can become an important resource for road construction. Its use not only increases the strength of coatings, but also helps to involve large-scale industrial waste in a closed-loop economy. This is one example of how we can turn waste into a resource, while simultaneously solving environmental and infrastructure development problems," Denis Butsaev, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation, told Izvestia.

Phosphogypsum is a byproduct of the chemical industry, which is formed during the production of mineral fertilizers. Today, it is one of the most massive industrial wastes. However, it has wide application possibilities: the material is suitable for the construction of roads, sidewalks, bike paths, sports and playgrounds.

"The experience of using phosphogypsum has already been successfully implemented in the Leningrad and Saratov regions. In particular, pilot road sections with a total area of 180,000 square meters have been built in the Balakovsky district of the Saratov Region," Irina Tarasova, General Director of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, told Izvestia.

There is also a positive experience of using phosphogypsum in the reclamation of waste disposal facilities. Such technologies have received a positive conclusion from the state environmental assessment, concluded the REO.

Earlier, on June 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that over 5,400 km of highways, including sections of the Novorossiya highway, had been repaired in the new regions of the Russian Federation. According to the president, it not only connected Crimea with the whole country via a land corridor, but also became part of the Azov Ring route, a modern highway around the Sea of Azov. Putin noted that this highway would give a good "boost" to the development of Crimea, Sevastopol, Krasnodar Territory, Donbass and Novorossiya.

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