Extraction of metals from complex sulfide nickel concentrates by low-temperature chlorination roasting and water leaching

The recovery of valuable metals from complex sulfide concentrates was investigated via chlorination roasting followed by water leaching. A reaction process is proposed on the basis of previous studies and the results of our preliminary experiments. During the process, various process parameters were studied, including the roasting temperature, the addition of NH4Cl, the roasting time, the leaching time, and the liquid-to-solid ratio. The roasted products and leach residues were characterized by X-ray diffraction and vibrational spectroscopy. Under the optimum condition, 95% of Ni, 98% of Cu, and 88% of Co were recovered. In addition, the removal of iron was studied in the water leaching stage. The results demonstrate that this process provides an effective approach for extracting multiple metals from complex concentrates or ores. © 2017, University of Science and Technology Beijing and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Reductive kinetics of Panzhihua ilmenite with hydrogen

The hydrogen reduction of Panzhihua ilmenite concentrate in the temperature range of 900?1050 °C was systematicallyinvestigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TG), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) methods. It wasshown that the products of the Panzhihua ilmenite reduced at 900 °C were metallic iron and rutile. Above 1000 °C, ferrouspseudobrookite solid solution was generated. During the reduction process, element Mg gradually concentrated to form Mg-rich zonewhich can influence the metallization process. The reduction reaction proceeded topochemically and its related reduction kineticswere also discussed. The kinetics of the reduction indicated that the rate-controlling step was the diffusion process. The apparentactivation energy of the hydrogen reduction of Panzhihua ilmenite was calculated to be 117.56 kJ/mol, which was larger than that ofsynthetic ilmenite under the same reduction condition.

Interfacial reactions of chalcopyrite in ammonia–ammonium chloride solution

The interfacial reactions of chalcopyrite in ammonia–ammonium chloride solution were investigated.The chalcopyrite surface was examined by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)techniques.It was found that interfacial passivation layers of chalcopyrite were formed from an iron oxide layer on top of a copper sulfide layer overlaying the bulk chalcopyrite,whereas CuFe1-xS2 or copper sulfides were formed via the preferential dissolution of Fe.The copper sulfide layer formed a new passivation layer,whereas the iron oxide layer peeled off spontaneously and partially from the chalcopyrite surface.The state of the copper sulfide layer was discussed after being deduced from the appearance of S2-,S22-,Sn2-,S0 and SO42-.A mechanism for the oxidation and passivation of chalcopyrite under different pH values and redox potentials was proposed.Accordingly,a model of the interfacial reaction on the chalcopyrite surface was constructed using a three-step reaction pathway,which demonstrated the formation and transformation of passivation layers under the present experimental conditions.

Electrolytic production of Ti-Ge intermetallics from oxides in molten CaCl_2-NaCl

Titanium germanium intermetallics （TixGey）were directly prepared from titanium oxide （TiO2） and germanium oxide（GeO2） powders mixture by using an electrodeoxidation process. The electrochemical experiment was carried out in a molten fluxCaCl2-NaCl at 800℃ with a potential of 3.0 V. The results show that monolithic germanide Ti5Ge3 intermetallic can be directlyproduced from TiO2-GeO2 or CaTiO3-GeO2 precursors （both molar ratios are 5：3）, and the obtained Ti5Ge3 powders exhibithomogenous particle structure. In addition, the phase composition of the final product can be dramatically affected by the initialmolar ratio of TiO2 to GeO2. The reaction mechanism of the electrodeoxidation process was discussed based on the experimentalresults. It is suggested that the electrodeoxidation process is an environmentally friendly method for the preparation of Ti-Geintermetallics.

Molten salt electrosynthesis of silicon carbide nanoparticles and their photoluminescence property

A one-step molten salt electrochemical strategy was proposed to synthesize SiC nanoparticles from ultra-fine silicon dioxide/carbon(SiO_(2)/C)mixtures.The electrosynthesis process and physicochemical properties of the synthesized products were systematically analyzed via X-ray diffraction,electron microscopy,Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy,etc.A combined chemical/electrochemical reaction,electrochemical deoxidation,and in-situ carbonization reaction mechanism was proposed to reveal the electrochemical synthesis process of SiC nanoparticles from SiO_(2)/C in molten CaCl_(2).The as-prepared SiC with particle size ranging from 8 to 14 nm possesses a polycrystalline structure.In addition,the SiC nanoparticles demonstrate obvious photoluminescence property due to the synergetic size effect and microstructural characteristics.

Progress in Ti_(3)O_(5):Synthesis,properties and applications

The crystal structure,physical,chemical and phase transition properties of trititanium pentoxide(Ti_(3)O_5)have aroused a broad range of research effort since the 1950s.Different crystalline forms(α,β,γ,δandλ)of Ti_(3)O_5 exhibit various properties.Particularly,reversible phase transitions betweenλ-andβ-Ti_(3)O_5 have been attracting increasing research interest,which brings new potential applications of Ti_(3)O_5 materials in the field of energy and data storage.More recently,Ti_(3)O_5 materials have shown excellent performance in trace detection,microwave absorption and virus adsorption,which has expanded its application fields.Here,the essential properties of different crystal forms of Ti_(3)O_5 are described in detail.An intensive overview of Ti_(3)O_5 preparation methods and applications is comprehensively summarized.

Multiple gaseous reduction of ilmenite: thermodynamic and experimental study

In this paper, the thermodynamics of the reduction of ilmenite using multiple gases (H2/CO) was calculated. It is found that the metallization rate of 20.1%–98.8%, H2 consumption rate of 43.0%–99.1%, and carbon deposition amount of 5.7×10?7?0.49mol can be obtained based on the conditions of hydrogen volume fraction of 10%–90% and temperature of 450–1200°C. Experimental study was also carried out using synthetic ilmenite as initial materials and reduced in a static bed reactor at 1100°C. The metallization rate reaches 97% when the multiple gas (70% H2/10% CO/20% Ar) flow rate is 120ml·min?1. A thermogravimetric analyzer was used to measure the variation of sample weight caused by the deposition of solid carbon. The amount of carbon deposited during experiments reaches its maximum while the original hydrogen volume content is 20%. The experimental results are well consistent with the thermodynamic analysis.