Polytetrafluoroethylene/TiO2 composite pellets as sulfur adsorbents for pressure oxidization leaching of chalcopyrite
作者：P. Govindaiah, M. Grundy, E. Guerra*, Y. Choi, Z. Ye*
關鍵字：TiO2, Chalcopyrite, PTFE, TiO2 content, Pulp density
論文來源：期刊
具體來源：Metallurgical and Materials Transaction B
發表時間：2015年
In this study, we report the use of polytetrafluoroethylene/titanium dioxide (PTFE/TiO2) composite pellets as sulfur adsorbents in the extraction of copper from chalcopyrite by pressure oxidation leaching. PTFE/TiO2 composites of various compositions were prepared by compression molding followed by pelletization. The mass percentage of TiO2 filler in the PTFE matrix was varied from 0 to 35 wt pct. With the use of the composite pellets, significant enhancements in copper leaching were observed, indicating their role as adsorbents for the adsorption of molten elemental sulfur. In particular, the enhancement in copper extraction was increasingly pronounced (from 75 to 89 pct) with the increase of the mass percentage of TiO2 in the composite pellets from 0 to 35 wt pct. This is reasoned to result from the loss of TiO2 domains from the pellet surface, which creates additional rough hydrophobic surface to better capture elemental sulfur. The composite pellet adsorbents show excellent reusability, with the performance well maintained for 10 leaching cycles. In addition, the effectiveness of composite adsorbents at different chalcopyrite pulp densities was also investigated.