Phosphogypsum-to-acid industry to solve industrial solid waste challenge
2026-09-26 17:09:03
By Zhou Chunyi.
Yichang is expanding its phosphogypsum-to-acid industry as a way to utilize industrial solid waste on a large scale. The city has built two projects with a combined annual processing capacity of 750,000 tons and plans to develop 11 more, which are expected to raise annual capacity to more than 20 million tons.
Yihua Group's industrial park for phosphorus and fluorine chemicals.
The approach was highlighted at the 2026 National Industry and Information Technology Green and Low-Carbon Development Symposium, recently held in Yichang.
Yichang is a major phosphorus chemical base and a national industrial resource comprehensive utilization base. Phosphogypsum is an industrial byproduct of phosphoric acid production, a key part of fertilizer manufacturing. It has traditionally been treated as industrial solid waste.
The phosphogypsum-to-acid process recovers sulfur from phosphogypsum to produce sulfuric acid, which can then be reused in phosphoric acid production. By reducing phosphogypsum stockpiles and recovering sulfur, the process reduces land use and pollution risks while supporting greener chemical production.
Hubei Dongsheng Industrial is a major participant in Yichang’s phosphogypsum-to-acid industry. Facing pressure to dispose of phosphogypsum and high sulfuric acid costs, the company invested 1.26 billion yuan (US$180 million) in a three-phase project. The first phase, costing 420 million yuan, began production in 2024. The second and third phases are under construction.
Once completed, the project will process 3 million tons of phosphogypsum, produce 900,000 tons of concentrated sulfuric acid, and yield 1.2 million tons of cement admixture each year. It will fully consume the company’s newly generated phosphogypsum and gradually reduce historical stockpiles.
Tan Ronglong also contributed to this story.
Yichang is expanding its phosphogypsum-to-acid industry as a way to utilize industrial solid waste on a large scale. The city has built two projects with a combined annual processing capacity of 750,000 tons and plans to develop 11 more, which are expected to raise annual capacity to more than 20 million tons.
Yihua Group's industrial park for phosphorus and fluorine chemicals.The approach was highlighted at the 2026 National Industry and Information Technology Green and Low-Carbon Development Symposium, recently held in Yichang.
Yichang is a major phosphorus chemical base and a national industrial resource comprehensive utilization base. Phosphogypsum is an industrial byproduct of phosphoric acid production, a key part of fertilizer manufacturing. It has traditionally been treated as industrial solid waste.
The phosphogypsum-to-acid process recovers sulfur from phosphogypsum to produce sulfuric acid, which can then be reused in phosphoric acid production. By reducing phosphogypsum stockpiles and recovering sulfur, the process reduces land use and pollution risks while supporting greener chemical production.
Hubei Dongsheng Industrial is a major participant in Yichang’s phosphogypsum-to-acid industry. Facing pressure to dispose of phosphogypsum and high sulfuric acid costs, the company invested 1.26 billion yuan (US$180 million) in a three-phase project. The first phase, costing 420 million yuan, began production in 2024. The second and third phases are under construction.
Once completed, the project will process 3 million tons of phosphogypsum, produce 900,000 tons of concentrated sulfuric acid, and yield 1.2 million tons of cement admixture each year. It will fully consume the company’s newly generated phosphogypsum and gradually reduce historical stockpiles.
Tan Ronglong also contributed to this story.
