Elucidation of the Nature of Structural Heterogeneity During Alkali Leaching of Non-activated and Mechanically Activated Boehmite (gamma-AlOOH)

Crystal joints and faces in non-activated boehmite and, state of agglomeration of particles, degree of amorphization, microcrystallite dimension and, strain in mechanically activated boehmite are indicators of structural heterogeneity which influences reactivity of the solid phase. The focus of this paper is on understanding the manifestation of the heterogeneity during alkali leaching of a boehmite (specific surface area-263 m(2) / g), without and with mechanical activation using planetary milling up to 240 minutes. A two-prong strategy is used for this purpose which involved analysis of the kinetics of leaching by a model-free approach using 'isoconversional method' and, in parallel, characterization of the reacting solid after different durations of leaching. Unlike model-fitting methods, the kinetic analysis revealed sample-dependent variation of apparent activation energy with fraction leached. Changes observed in the morphology of samples (by SEM), particle size distribution (by laser diffraction), and crystalline nature (by powder X-ray diffraction) are used to explain activation energy changes and propose mechanisms of leaching. The effect of mechanical activation on rate constant is assessed and it has been found that up to similar to 23-fold increase in rate is possible depending on the activation time, leaching temperature, and fraction leached. Further, based on binary correlations between activation energy at different fractions leached and initial characteristics of the samples, it is found that the leaching is predominantly influenced by structural changes during milling, namely, degree of amorphization, microcrystallite dimension, and strain, vis-a-vis specific surface area. Significantly, the paper highlights limitation of model-fitting methods used by most researchers to analyze the kinetics of leaching, especially for mechanically activated minerals. (C) The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM International 201