Thermoanalytical studies on the salt roasting of chalcopyrite using KCl

In an earlier study [1], the isothermal kinetics of salt roasting of chalcopyrite under an oxidizing atmosphere using KCl was studied in the temperature range 523-773 K. The salt roasting reaction was found to be chemically controlled at temperatures below 600 K both under static air and oxygen atmosphere. At higher temperatures, the process was not thermally activated because of a change in the chemistry of the process. In the present study, the salt roasting of chalcopyrite using KCl under oxygen and static air atmosphere was studied by non-isothermal thermoanalytical studies up to 723 K. The effect of salt content, heating rate and particle size on the salt roasting behavior was studied using TG/DTA techniques at a programmed linear heating rate. The TG and DTA studies reveal two distinct chemical processes, one operative up to 620 K and the other from 620 to 723 K. The integral method of Coats and Redfern was used for the treatment of non-isothermal kinetic data. The non-isothermal analysis confirmed the chemical control mechanism at temperatures below 620 K. However, the activation energy for the process derived from non-isothermal thermogravimetric analysis is almost twice as that deduced from isothermal measurements. In the temperature range 620-723 K, the kinetic data still obeys the interfacial reaction control model although the activation energy in this temperature range is very low. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved