Hazardous metal geochemistry of sedimentary phosphate rock used for fertilizer (Mazıdag, SE Anatolia, Turkey)

Composition of phosphate rocks mostly depend on their type and origin. Sedimentary rocks contain high concentration of heavy metals. Phosphate rocks are mainly used for the manufacturing of phosphate fertilizers. The contents of heavy metals Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, as well as rare earth elements Ce, La, and Th were determined in sedimentary phosphate rock used for production of fertilizer in Turkey. The Kasrik-Semikan, Mazidag (Mardin, SE Anatolia, Turkey) high-grade phosphate rock used in this study is situated near the border with Syria and was deposited during the Turonian and Senonian (Cretaceous) ages. Total phosphorus (P) concentration in the rock is 18.5% on the average. Microwave acid digestion (MW-AD) followed by İnductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrophotometry (ICP-OES) was carried out for the determination of all the elements of interest in phosphate rock. The results revealed that hazardous metal content of the phosphate rock was lower in Mazidag phosphate than that in samples imported from other countries and were within the safety limits.