Physicochemical characterization of soils around the processing plant of phosphate of Kpémé in Togo

Abstract

The soils characterization study around phosphate treatment plant of Kpémé in Togo is a set of themes integrated in the environment safeguarding policy advocated by the first authorities of the country. In this context, this study aims at characterizing the soils of Aglomé II (S₁), Kpémé (S₂) and Goumoukopé (S₃), by various complementary physico-chemical techniques. The granulometric analysis indicates a texture of a fine grained soil muddy not very argillaceous for S₁ and that of an average sand not very muddy not very argillaceous for S₂ and S₃. Contents of organic matter (respectively 3.67; 6.72 and 4.7%) and of total limestone (respectively 2.33; 3.26 and 3.02%) of the soils are weak. The fractionation of the organic matter of the soils showed the presence of humic solutions which contain respectively 4.928 g/Kg; 10.897 g/Kg and 4.872 g/Kg of humic matter for the soils S₁; S₂ and S₃.Report/ratio AH/AF is very weak and the infrared spectroscopy of the soils reveal the presence of the tapes characteristic of the functional groupings. Mineralogy was done on fine fractions of the samples of soils through the diffraction of x-rays (DRX).The DRX indicates that fluorapatite prevails in S₁ and quartz prevails in S₂ and S₃.