Mechanism and leaching kinetics of molybdenite concentrate in a hydrogen peroxide-acid system

The mechanism and leaching kinetics of a molybdenite concentrate in a H2O2-H2SO4 system were studied. The experimental work was performed in a batch reactor equipped with a condenser, a mechanical agitator and a temperature control system. The effects of the temperature, H2O2 and H2SO4 concentrations, particle size, liquid/solid ratio and agitation speed on the Mo recovery were investigated. The thermodynamic results showed that the leaching mechanism it was governed by several intermediate reactions; however, the influences of sulfuric acid and passivation were not observed in the reaction. The most predominant experimental result was the maximum Mo recovery of 81.3% by leaching 64 μm particles at 333 K (60 °C) for 5400 s (90 min). The molybdenum recovery was generally enhanced by increasing the H2O2 and H2SO4 concentrations. However, at H2SO4 concentrations higher than 1.0 mol/dm3, the Mo recovery decreased. Although the agitation speed affected the Mo recovery considerably, high recoveries could be still obtained without mixing. The experimental results and XRD analysis confirmed the reaction mechanisms. The leaching kinetics were analyzed using a shrinking core model in which the rate was controlled by diffusion through a porous layer with radius ro. The reaction rate orders were 1.0 and 0.2 for the H2O2 and H2SO4 concentrations, respectively, and the rate was inversely proportional to the square of the initial particle radius. The calculated activation energy was 75.2 kJ/mol in the temperature range of 278-333 K (5-60 °C)