Thallium in Oceanic Phosphorites

摘要

Thallium makes up a series of toxic compounds and belongs to the group of rare elements. Its average content is 1 ppm in clayey rocks and 1.8 ppm in pelagic sediments. However, its content may be tens or hundreds of times higher in some rocks and ores, particularly oceanic ferromanganese nodules. Thallium distribution in phosphorites, the main raw material for the production of phosphorus fertilizers, has not been studied. Works devoted to the distribution of rare elements in phosphorites have also ignored the behavior of Tl. At the same time, researchers have paid much attention to the geochemistry of other toxic elements, particularly Cd, in phosphorites in connection with issues of environmental safety and preservation. The aim of the present work is to study the behavior of Tl in oceanic phosphorites, which are analogues of continental phosphorite deposits in terms of several geochemical parameters.