Effect of Magnesium Sulfate Solution on Pore Structure of Ionic Rare Earth Ore during Leaching Process
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Materials
2.2. Experimental Method and Process
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Effect of Concentration and pH of Leaching Agent on Zeta Potential of Rare Earth Ore Particles in Leaching Process
3.2. Effect of Leaching Agent Concentration on Pore Structure of Orebody
3.3. Effect of pH of Leaching Agent on Pore Structure of Orebody
4. Conclusions
- In the leaching process of rare earth samples with pure H2O, the curve of the change of Zeta potential on the surface of rare earth ore particles is nearly a straight line. The particles inside the sample cause local pore fluctuation under the effect of seepage. The porosity changes slightly within 0.80%, which has little impact on the pore structure of the orebody;
- In the leaching process of magnesium sulfate solution with different mass percent concentrations, the absolute value of Zeta potential on the surface of rare earth ore particles decreases with the leaching time going on. When the solution with a concentration of 4.0% is used as a leaching agent, the change of the Zeta potential reaches the maximum, reducing by 53.60%. The curve of the Zeta potential change of samples leached with high concentrations of magnesium sulfate solutions fluctuates greatly, while that of low-concentration solutions is relatively gentle. The porosity increases first, then decreases, and finally slowly increases during the leaching time. The internal pores are mainly small and medium. During the leaching time, the number of small and large pores increases in the samples with 3.5% and 4.5% solutions. In the samples with the other concentrations, the number of small pores increases rapidly while the number of large and extra-large pores is small and decreases;
- In the leaching process of magnesium sulfate solutions with different pH, the absolute value of Zeta potential on the surface of rare earth ore particles decreases during the leaching time. In the later stage of the process, the value shows a slightly increasing trend. When the magnesium sulfate solution with pH = 3 is used as a leaching agent, the change of Zeta potential reaches the maximum, reducing by 41.04%. The porosity increases first and then decreases, and finally slowly increases with time. The internal pore structure of the samples generally shows that the number of small and extra-large pores decreases while the number of medium and large pores increases;
- When magnesium sulfate solutions with different concentrations and pH are used for leaching, a chemical replacement reaction occurs between Mg2+ and RE3+, resulting in a change in the thickness of the electric double layer and the breaking of the balance between the van der Waals force and electric double layer repulsion of fine particles and soil surface. The reaction also causes the agglomeration, dispersion, and dynamic desorption transformation of fine particles, leading to the evolution of the microscopic pore structure of the orebody during the leaching process.
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Particle Diameter (mm) | >5 | 2.5–5 | 1–2.5 | 0.5–1 | 0.075–0.5 | <0.075 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Percentage of interval (%) | 12.8 | 28.9 | 7.3 | 8.4 | 28.7 | 13.9 |
percentage (%) | 12.8 | 41.7 | 49.0 | 57.4 | 86.1 | 100 |
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Gao, Z.; Rao, Y.; Shi, L.; Xiang, R.; Yang, Z. Effect of Magnesium Sulfate Solution on Pore Structure of Ionic Rare Earth Ore during Leaching Process. Minerals 2023, 13, 294. https://doi.org/10.3390/min13020294
Gao Z, Rao Y, Shi L, Xiang R, Yang Z. Effect of Magnesium Sulfate Solution on Pore Structure of Ionic Rare Earth Ore during Leaching Process. Minerals. 2023; 13(2):294. https://doi.org/10.3390/min13020294
Chicago/Turabian StyleGao, Zhongquan, Yunzhang Rao, Liang Shi, Run Xiang, and Zhihua Yang. 2023. "Effect of Magnesium Sulfate Solution on Pore Structure of Ionic Rare Earth Ore during Leaching Process" Minerals 13, no. 2: 294. https://doi.org/10.3390/min13020294
APA StyleGao, Z., Rao, Y., Shi, L., Xiang, R., & Yang, Z. (2023). Effect of Magnesium Sulfate Solution on Pore Structure of Ionic Rare Earth Ore during Leaching Process. Minerals, 13(2), 294. https://doi.org/10.3390/min13020294