Pressure Oxidation of Arsenic (III) Ions in the H3AsO3-Fe2+-Cu2+-H2SO4 System

Abstract

The processing of low-grade polymetallic materials, such as copper–zinc, copper–lead–zinc, and poor arsenic-containing copper concentrates using hydrometallurgical methods is becoming increasingly important due to the depletion of rich and easily extracted mineral resources, as well as due to the need to reduce harmful emissions from metallurgy, especially given the high content of arsenic in ores. Ferric arsenates obtained through hydrothermal precipitation are the least soluble and most stable form of arsenic, which is essential for its disposal. This paper describes the investigation of the oxidation kinetics of As (III) ions to As (V) which is required for efficient purification of the resulting solutions and precipitation of low-solubility ferric arsenates. The effect of temperature (160–200 °C), the initial concentration of Fe (II) (3.6–89.5 mmol/dm3), Cu (II) (6.3–62.9 of mmol/dm3) and the oxygen pressure (0.2–0.5 MPa) on the oxidation efficiency of As (III) to As (V) was studied. As (III) oxidation in H3AsO-Fe2+-Cu2+-H2SO4 and H3AsO-Fe2+-H2SO4 systems was controlled by a chemical reaction with the apparent activation energy (Ea (≈84.3–86.3 kJ/mol)). The increase in the concentration of Fe (II) ions and addition of an external catalyst (Cu (II) ions) both have a positive effect on the process. When Cu (II) ions are introduced into the solution, their catalytic effect is confirmed by a decrease in the partial orders, Fe (II) ions concentration from 0.43 to 0.20, and the oxygen pressure from 0.95 to 0.69. The revealed catalytic effect is associated with a positive effect of Cu (II) ions on the oxidation of Fe (II) to Fe (III) ions, which further participate in As (III) oxidation. The semi-empirical equations describing the reaction rate under the studied conditions are written.