Study on Hydrometallurgical Treatment of Oxide Ores Bearing Zinc

Abstract

As the depletion of zinc sulfide ores becomes more severe, investigations into the recovery of zinc from zinc oxide ores have aroused more interest. In this regard, acid-based hydrometallurgical treatment strategies have had great effectiveness. However, they are inadequate for low-grade zinc oxide ores. In this study, we examined the alkaline treatment of gossan for the recovery of oxide ores that bear zinc, such as siderite and limonite. Additionally, of particular note, the effects of a leaching agent, its concentration and time, temperature, liquid-to-solid ratio, as well as the agitation rate on the leaching of zinc from gossan were studied to evaluate the effects of these parameters on the kinetics of zinc dissolution. The results showed that the leaching of zinc is controlled by a single rate-controlling step with an activation energy of 4.458 kJ/mol before 120 min and 5.536 kJ/mol after 120 min, with zinc leaching efficiency less than 50% in all leachings.