Effect of Chloride Ions on the Electrochemical Oxidation of Chalcopyrite at 340 °C and 21 MPa

Abstract

Understanding the oxidative mechanisms of chalcopyrite in various hydrothermal fluids is of great significance to improve copper extraction and to model the geochemical cycling of copper, iron, and sulfur. This paper investigated the effect of NaCl on the electrochemical oxidation of chalcopyrite at 340 °C and 21 MPa using polarization curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and Raman spectroscopy. The experimental results showed that NaCl can promote chalcopyrite leaching. As NaCl concentration increases, the protective property of the oxidation layer degraded. In the absence of NaCl, the oxidation layer that consisted of CuSn, (n ≥ 1), probably with some Fe2O3 and Fe(OH)3 and also in the presence of NaCl, Fe2O3, is the principal oxidation product. More rapid ionic diffusion and further chemical reaction contributed to the improvement of chalcopyrite dissolution with increasing NaCl concentration. A dissolution mechanism is proposed in this paper to explain the chalcopyrite leaching processes which is dependent on NaCl concentration.