328

ELECTROCHEMICAL REACTONS AN D SOLUTION CH EMISTRY

ELECTROCHEMISTRY

IN SILVER CATALYSED FERRIC SULFATE LEACHING OF CHALCOPYRITE

McDonough and

J.D. Miller, P.J.

Department

H.Q.

Portillo
Engineering

of l4etallurgy and Metallurgical

University

of

Utah

catalytic effect of silyer additions in the ferric sulfate leaching of chalcopyrite.

cuFeS, The enhanced

Previous investigations have demonstrated the

3 "1 + qre+'+

cu++

+ 5Fe** + zso

the formation of an intermediate AgrS film which forms on the CuFeS, surface by an exchang reaction. Under these conditlons, unlike the uncatalysed ferric sulfate leach, the elemental sulfur forms a nonprotective reaction product on the AgrS crystallites. As a
intermediate electrochemical reaction in the Ag,S film rather than by transport through the elemefital

rate of leaching vlas found to be due to

result, the rate

appears

t6

become

lmited by

an

sulfur reaction product.

Ag2slsurface cuFesr)

+ 2Fe+3

2Ag+

zFe++

so

The reaction rale wag.found to.[ave a complex dependence on the Ag', Fe'-, and Fe'' concentrations, but independent of the Cu" concentration. Electrochemical neasurenents with a AgrS-coated chalcopyrite electrode provide furtherinforation regarding the nature of the reaction mechanism. The kinetics of the rate limiting, intermediate electrochemical reac-.

tion are analyzed in terms of the Butler-Volmer tion.

INTRODUCTION

equa-

Figure l. SEM photograph of the cross section of a patially leached chalcopyrite particle (10 um) showing the sulfur layer and topochemical nature of the unatalysed ferric sulfate )each. (5)

of the chalcopyrites
In sulfuric acid solutions of ferric sulfate, chalcopyrite dissolves according to the following
reacti
on ,

These electrochemical differences

the anodic (to)

in the various studies. are illustrated by polarization curves presented in Figure 2.

used

CuFeSr

+ 4Fe'"

+?

+) * Cu'' + 5Fe" + 25"

TRANSVAL,SO AFRICA

(l)

r--l
-

Pr lsl'

ausrnlrtr z-t-

more recent results reported by Jones and Peters. (7) The topochemical nature of the leaching reaction is c)ear1y illustrated in Figure I which shows the cross

This reaction stoichiometry has been observed in a number of investigat'ions. (l-5) Exceptions to this consensus are the early work of Sullivan (6) and the

=:--

-4{-=-

section

surrounded by a dense, tenacious

of partial)y reacted chalcopyrite particle sulfur layer.

details of rate control for this particula been well established. Some investigators (1,7) attribute rate control to a surface reaction. 0ther investigators (2-5,8,9) report that the reaction rate is limited by transport in the chalcopyrite lattice or through the elementa'l sulfur reaction product layer, Differences in leaching behavior reported in the literature (5) may be ue to variations in the intrinsic electrochemical properties
The

The formation of an elemental sulfur layer on the chalcopyrite surface may significantly influence the reaction kinetics by establishing a diffusion barrier.

reaction have not

to-5

rda

Figure

25"C. (ro)

six different locations in I

2.

Anodic polarization culves

M

H2SO4,

30 nv/ninl

for

CuFeS^ from