Leaching kinetics of a Nigerian complex covellite ore by the ammonia-ammonium sulfate solution

Alafara Abdullahi Baba; Ayo Felix Balogun; Daud Temitope Olaoluwa; Rafiu Babatunde Bale; Folahan Amoo Adekola; Abdul Ganiyu Funsho Alabi

Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering, Vol.34, No.4, 1133-1140, April, 2017

DOI10.1007/s11814-017-0005-5 Export Citation

Leaching kinetics of a Nigerian complex covellite ore by the ammonia-ammonium sulfate solution

Alafara Abdullahi Baba^†, Ayo Felix Balogun^†, Daud Temitope Olaoluwa¹, Rafiu Babatunde Bale², Folahan Amoo Adekola, and Abdul Ganiyu Funsho Alabi³

Department of Industrial Chemistry, University of Ilorin, P.M.B. 1515, Ilorin-240003, Nigeria
¹Department of Chemistry, University of Ilorin, P.M.B. 1515, Ilorin-240003, Nigeria and Department of Science Laboratory Technology, The Federal Polytechnic, P.M.B. 231 Ede, Nigeria
²Department of Geology and Mineral Sciences, University of Ilorin, P.M.B. 1515, Ilorin-240003, Nigeria
³Department of Materials & Metallurgical Engineering, University of Ilorin, P.M.B. 1515, Ilorin 240003, Nigeria and Department of Material Science and Engineering, Kwara State University, P.M.B. 1530, Malete, Nigeria

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Hydrometallurgical treatment of copper sulfide ore is increasingly establishing itself as a feasible route for the extraction of copper and recovery of associated precious metals value. This is attributed to the merits of this route, which include suitability for low-grade and complex ores, high recoveries, competitive economics, and other operational features. The leaching kinetics of Nigerian complex covellite ore was investigated in ammonia-ammonium sulfate solution. The concentration of ammonia and ammonium sulfate, the ore particle size, and the temperature were chosen as parameters in the experiments. The results show that temperature, concentration of ammonia-ammonium sulfate has favorable influence on the leaching rate of covellite ores; however, leaching rate decreases with increasing particle size. At optimal conditions (1.75mol/L NH4OH+0.5mol/L (NH4)2SO4, -90+75 μm, 75 °C, with moderate stirring) about 86.2% of copper ore reacted within 120 minutes. The mechanism of the leaching was further established by characterizing the raw ore and the leached residue by EDXRF - chemical composition, SEM - structural morphology and XRD - phase identification studies. From the X-ray diffraction analysis, the partially unreacted Cu and S phases were presumed to be CuO, and the iron present in the CuS phase was mainly converted to hematite (Fe2O3·H2O), as the CuS phase disintegrated and remained in the residue afterward.

Keywords:Copper Sulfide;Covellite Ore;Ammonia;Ammonium Sulfate;Leaching;Diffusion Control Mechanism

[References]

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[2] Dutrizac JE, Miller JD, Wadsworth ME, Metall. Mater. Trans. B-Proc. Metall. Mater. Proc. Sci., 10B, 149 (1979)

[3] Calban T, Colak S, Yesilyurt M, Chem. Eng. Commun., 192(10-12), 1515 (2005)

[4] Ekmekyapar A, Oya R, Kunkul A, J. Chem. Biochem. Eng. Q., 17(4), 261 (2003)

[5] Goh SW, Buckley AN, Lamb RN, Miner. Eng., 19(2), 204 (2006)

[6] Schlesinger M, King M, Sole K, Davenport W, Extractive metallurgy of copper, (fifth edition), Elsevier, 1 (2011).

[7] Sullivan J, US Bureau of Mines, Technical Paper 487 (1930).

[8] Liang W, Whangbo MH, Solid State Commun., 85(5), 405 (1993)

[9] Tezuka K, Sheets WC, Kurihara R, Shan YJ, Imoto H, Marks TJ, Poeppelmeier KR, Solid State Sci., 9, 95 (2007)

[10] Ghosh S, Ambade B, Prasad SK, Choudhary AK, Int. J. Eng. Sci., 1(9), 8 (2012)

[11] Arzutug ME, Kocakerim MM, Copur M, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 43(15), 4118 (2004)

[12] Liu W, Tang MT, Tang CB, He J, Yang SH, Yang JG, Trans. Nonferrous Met. Soc. China, 20, 910 (2010)

[13] Wang X, Chen Q, Hu H, Yin Z, Xiao Z, Hydrometallurgy, 99(3/4), 231 (2009)

[14] Bingol D, Canbazoglu M, Aydgan S, Hydrometallurgy, 76(1/2), 55 (2005)

[15] Woode MY, Acheampong MA, Achaw OW, IJAR, 2(5), 1132 (2014)

[16] Liu Z, Yin Z, Hu H, Chen Q, Trans. Nonferrous Met. Soc. China, 22, 2822 (2012)

[17] Antonijevic MM, Dimitrijevic MD, Stevanovic ZO, Serbula SM, Bogdanovic GD, J. Hazard. Mater., 158(1), 23 (2008)

[18] Bingol D, Canbazoglu M, Hydrometallurgy, 72(1/2), 159 (2004)

[19] Ata ON, Colak S, Ekinci Z, Copur M, Chem. Eng. Technol., 24(4), 409 (2001)

[20] Baba AA, Ayinla KI, Adekola FA, Bale RB, Ghosh MK, Alabi AF, Sheik A, Folorunso IO, Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater., 20(11), 1021 (2013)

[21] Park KH, Mohapatra D, Reddy BR, Nam CW, Hydrometallurgy, 86(3-4), 164 (2007)

[22] Cambazoglu M, Bingol D, Guler H, J. Ore Dressing, 7, 1 (2005)

[23] Reilly IG, Scott DS, Can. J. Chem. Eng., 55, 527 (1977)

[24] Scott WW, Standard Methods of Chemical Analysis; Van Nostrand, New York (1963).

[25] Levenspiel O, Chemical Reaction Engineering, Wiley, New York, 361 (1972).

[26] Bell SL, Welch GD, Bennett PG, Hydrometallurgy, 39(1-3), 11 (1995)

[27] You-Cai L, Wei Y, Jiang-Gang F, Li-Feng L, Dong Q, Can. J. Chem. Eng., 91(4), 770 (2012)