An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of the mechanism of chalcopyrite leaching

摘要

An alternative mechanism based on the application of simple chemical principals involving hydrated (hence realistic) solution species is proposed for the oxidative leaching of chalcopyrite. A key conclusion is that chalcopyrite leaches by oxidation of a pyritic phase that forms rapidly on freshly fractured chalcopyrite surfaces and also persists on leached chalcopyrite surfaces. The formation and subsequent leaching of this pyritic phase ultimately leads to chalcopyrite "passivation".