Characterization and Localized Insight into Leaching of Sulfide Minerals

Abstract:

To improve the efficiency of sustainable recovery of valuable resources (such as copper, gold, uranium), advanced technologies of electrochemistry, surface chemistry and materials characterization, such as Synchrotron X ray-absorption spectroscopy (XAS), X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and in situ X-ray Diffraction (XRD) have been employed to investigate the interactions between microbes and sulfide minerals in situ to gain a detailed understanding of the chemical reaction mechanisms operating in bioleaching. It has been demonstrated that alternating current Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy (ac-SECM) allows for straightforward characterization of sulfide mineral samples in aqueous solution. With the technology localized electrochemical properties of the mineral surface including the surface current mapping can be achieved. Robust chemical sensors have been developed for real time, in-situ monitoring of key leaching process parameters.

• Periodical: Solid State Phenomena (Volume 262)
• Pages: 261-264
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/SSP.262.261
• Online since: August 2017
• Authors: Miao Chen*, Yi Yang, Mikko Vepsalainen
• Keywords: In Situ XAS, Leaching, Real Time Sensing, SECM, Sulfide Minerals

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