A Literature Review of Succession Planning and Talent Development for Underrepresented Groups in the Construction Industry

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This study examines the current state of research on succession planning, talent development, and diversity inclusion within the construction industry, with particular attention to underrepresented groups. The review synthesizes scholarly and industry literature that highlights the strategic importance of succession planning and talent development for organizational sustainability, leadership continuity, and workforce competitiveness. Existing studies emphasize the need to integrate diversity and inclusion initiatives with business and human resource strategies to strengthen leadership pipelines and organizational performance. However, the literature reveals a significant gap in research addressing the development, advancement, and succession planning of minority and underrepresented populations within construction organizations. Findings indicate that succession planning practices in the construction sector remain inconsistent and lack widely accepted standards, while labor shortages and an aging workforce continue to challenge industry sustainability. The review further explores diversity management through the lens of dynamic capabilities theory, identifying mentoring, networking, internship, and career-track succession programs as critical mechanisms for improving workforce diversity and inclusion. The chapter concludes that construction organizations must adopt systematic, diversity-focused succession planning frameworks and establish measurable diversity indicators to evaluate progress toward equitable leadership development. Additional research is needed to better understand and address barriers affecting the advancement of underrepresented groups in the construction industry.

Retrospective Bench-Scale Screening of Six Phosphate Concentrates for Wet-Process Phosphoric Acid Production

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Variability in phosphate-concentrate chemistry can affect sulfuric acid demand, phosphorus recovery, calcium sulfate formation, and solid–liquid separation during wet-process phosphoric acid (WPA) production. This study presents a retrospective, quality-controlled reanalysis of a historical bench-scale campaign comprising six coded phosphate concentrates (PQH-001 to PQH-006). Each concentrate was represented by one complete WPA bench test; accordingly, comparisons are descriptive rather than inferential. Feed P₂O₅ ranged from 27.59 to 30.55 wt%, whereas the minor-elements ratio (MER = 100 × (Al₂O₃ + Fe₂O₃ + MgO)/P₂O₅) ranged from 7.12 to 16.83%. The surviving records documented 98 wt% sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, and gypsum streams, filtration calculations, and duplicate hydrochloric acid attack tests, but did not preserve several operating variables required for mechanistic attribution. Observed P₂O₅ recovery ranged from 94.68 to 97.99%. The highest-grade feed, PQH-004 (30.55 wt% P₂O₅), showed the lowest recovery (94.68%) and the highest residual P₂O₅ in dry gypsum (1.083 wt%), demonstrating that feed grade alone did not rank performance in this campaign. PQH-005 showed the most favorable observed combination of metrics: 97.99% recovery, 0.405 wt% P₂O₅ in dry gypsum, a filtration index of 185.3 kg h⁻¹ m⁻², and sulfuric-acid use of 2.603 t H₂SO₄/t feed P₂O₅, approximately 1% above the CaO-only stoichiometric benchmark. A stoichiometric QA/QC audit identified the reported PQH-003 acid addition as chemically inconsistent, and its filtration result was also non-defensible because a required dry-cake term was missing. The results support a staged, multi-parameter qualification approach based on feed chemistry, stoichiometric consistency, phosphorus deportment, and filtration behavior, followed by replicated modern bench and pilot validation before industrial scale-up.