Lin-lin Tong

Function of microorganism and reaction pathway for carrollite dissolution during bioleaching

Abstract The function of microorganism and dissolution reaction pathway of carrollite in the bioleaching process were investigated. The results showed that both indirect and contact mechanisms influenced the leaching process. The dissolution of carrollite was significantly accelerated when bacteria were adsorbed on the mineral surface, indicating that the contact mechanism significantly affected the dissolution of carrollite. During bioleaching, the sequence of oxidation state of the sulfur moiety of carrollite was as follows: S−2→S0→S+4→S+6. Elemental sulfur precipitated on the mineral surface, indicating that the dissolution of carrollite occurred via the polysulfide pathway. The surface of carrollite was selectively corroded by bacteria, and oxidation pits with different sizes were observed at various sites. Elemental sulfur, sulfate and sulfite were present on the surface of carrollite during the leaching process, and may have formed a passivation layer on mineral surface.

Synthesis of Hydroxylated Xanthate Salt and Its Use as Novel Selective Depressant in Copper-Molybdenum Separation

A hydroxylated xanthate salt (HXS) was synthesized from ethanol, carbon disulfide, and NaOH. The flotation responses of chalcopyrite and molybdenite when HXS was used as a novel depressant were investigated using bench-scale flotation tests. The bench-scale flotation results indicate that HXS strongly influenced the flotation of chalcopyrite and had little effect on the flotation of molybdenite. These results can be attributed to a significant improvement in the molybdenite/chalcopyrite selectivity surface index after the addition of HXS. The synthesized HXS contained both solid-philic and hydrophilic groups. The molybdenum recovery achieved using HXS was 9.91% higher than that obtained using sodium hydrosulfide, and better separation was achieved. Compared with sodium hydrosulfite, the chemical oxygen demand, sulfates and five-day BOD decreased significantly using the alternative depressant. This HXS is therefore a potential depressant for use in copper-molybdenum separation.

Extraction of selenium from copper anode slimes in a sealed leaching system

A new method was proposed for extracting selenium from copper anode slimes with a low concentration of nitric acid in a sealed sulfuric acid leaching system. It is performed under an atmosphere of oxygen which allowed for a cyclic utilization of nitric acid. The effects of main parameters on selenium leaching were studied. The mineralogical characterizations of the typical samples were investigated by XRD and SEM. The results showed that the optimal conditions of the process are considered to be total gas pressure of 0.1 MPa, leaching temperature of 388 K, solid-liquid ratio of 0.20 g mL–1, H2SO4 concentration of 2 mol L–1, HNO3 concentration of 0.07 mol L–1 and leaching time of 2 h. The high selenium leaching efficiency of 99.23% was obtained under these conditions. According to the results of XRD and SEM-EDS, Cu–Ag selenide in the raw anode slimes is difficult to be leached with sulfuric acid alone; copper can be leached more easily from Cu-Ag selenide than silver; selenide is oxidized into the solution, undergoing the intermediate product of elemental selenium.

Selenium Leaching from Copper Anode Slimes Using a Nitric Acid–Sulfuric Acid Mixture

Based on the Eh–pH diagram for the Se–H2O system, a new method is proposed for leaching selenium from copper anode slimes using a nitric acid–sulfuric acid mixture. The effects of solid/liquid ratio, HNO3 and H2SO4 concentrations, leaching temperature, and reaction time on the leaching efficiency of selenium were investigated. Samples were mineralogically characterized by x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy to study the transformation of selenium-containing phases during the leaching process. The results showed that the optimal conditions comprised a solid/liquid ratio of 0.25 g/ml, HNO3 concentration of 0.5 M, H2SO4 concentration of 2 M, leaching temperature of 363 K, and reaction time of 3 h. A selenium leaching efficiency of 97.79% was obtained under these conditions. Mineralogical characterization indicated that selenium occurred as Cu–Ag selenide in the raw copper anode slimes. This was first converted to elemental selenium and then to selenite ions in solution.

Effect of the CaO/SiO2 mass ratio and FeO content on the viscosity of CaO–SiO2–“FeO”–12wt%ZnO–3wt%Al2O3 slags

An effective process for recycling lead from hazardous waste cathode ray tubes (CRTs) funnel glass through traditional lead smelting has been presented previously. The viscous behavior of the molten high lead slag, which is affected by the addition of funnel glass, plays a critical role in determining the production efficiency. Therefore, the viscosities of the CaO–SiO2–“FeO”–12wt%ZnO–3wt%Al2O3 slags were measured in the current study using the rotating spindle method. The slag viscosity decreases as the CaO/SiO2 mass ratio is increased from 0.8 to 1.2 and also as the FeO content is increased from 8wt% to 20wt%. The breaking temperature of the slag is lowered substantially by the addition of FeO, whereas the influence of the CaO/SiO2 mass ratio on the breaking temperature is complex. The structural analysis of quenched slags using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy reveals that the silicate network structure is depolymerized with increasing CaO/SiO2 mass ratio or increasing FeO content. The [FeO6]-octahedra in the slag melt increase as the CaO/SiO2 mass ratio or the FeO content increases. This increase can further decrease the degree of polymerization (DOP) of the slag. Furthermore, the activation energy for viscous flow decreases both with increasing CaO/SiO2 mass ratio and increasing FeO content.