Kinetics of the acid leaching of palygorskite: Influence of the octahedral sheet composition

Abstract

AbstractA study has been carried out on the influence of acid concentration, time and temperature of reaction, liquid to solid ratio and chemical composition of the mineral on the extension and selectivity of the octahedral cations extracted during acid leaching of palygorskite. The mechanism of the extraction of Mg2+, Al3+, and Fe3+ is discussed on the basis of kinetic models fitted for a reacting-shell model, taking into account particle shape and the rate controlling step. A model is given from which kinetics parameters and the activation energy of the process are calculated. The different behaviour observed for the two palygorskites could be explained on the basis of their differences in surface areas.