Major Oxides and Trace Elements Composition of Phosphate Bearing Sedimentary Rocks from Sokoto, Northwest Nigeria

Kolo Matthew Tikpangi^1, and Salihu Simon Olonkwoh²

¹Department of Physics, school of natural sciences, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria

²Department of Chemistry, School of natural sciences, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria

Cite this paper:
Kolo Matthew Tikpangi and Salihu Simon Olonkwoh. Major Oxides and Trace Elements Composition of Phosphate Bearing Sedimentary Rocks from Sokoto, Northwest Nigeria. American Journal of Environmental Protection. 2015; 3(4):106-111. doi: 10.12691/env-3-4-1

Abstract

Major and trace elements composition of phosphate rocks from phosphate bearing areas of Sokoto basin north-western Nigeria were investigated using PANanalytical Minipal4 PW4025/45B energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometer (EDXRF). The results indicated that CaO, P₂O₅ and SiO₂ with mean concentration values ranging from 45.1±1.5 to 51.3±1.9 %, 19.9±1.0 to 21.6±2.2 % and 5.0±0.7 to 7.6±1.7 % respectively, are the most abundant species in Sokoto phosphate rocks (SPRs). Average concentrations of alkali metals were found to be less than 1wt % showing that very little salt will be added to agricultural soils via direct application of SPRs. The low concentration values recorded for alkali metals confirms the effectiveness of SPRs as good source of soil phosphorus. The estimated mean reactivity values varies from 2.2 to 2.4. These values underscore the suitability of SPRs as good raw material for fertilizer production. Cr, V, Cu and other studied trace elements were found to be enriched in the studied samples. Hence, direct application of SPRs can compete favourably with the conventional chemical fertilizers in enhancing the availability of soil nutrients for plant growth.

Keywords:
phosphate rock major oxides x-ray fluorescence CaO/P₂O₅ ratio Sokoto

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