This work sought to study the behavior of chalcopyrite in dissolution with oxygenated solutions of ferric and sodium chloride. Studied were the effects of the following process variables: pH, ferric ion concentration and sodium chloride concentration on copper dissolution. A morphologic characterization of reaction products was also performed by SEM analyses along with specific surface area and porosity measurements. The dissolution of copper from chalcopyrite showed to be independent of pH, directly proportional to the sodium chloride concentration, and inversely proportional to the ferric ion concentration. The presence of sodium chloride changed the morphology of the product layer and contributed to the increase of copper dissolution in the reacting system.
Chalcopyrite; ferric ions; chloride ions; leaching; morphology
