Electrochemical Behavior of Chalcopyrite Oxidation Leaching under Oxygen Pressure and Low Temperature

This paper reports our recent study on the electrochemical behavior of chalcopyrite oxidation leaching under oxygen pressure and low temperature. We examined the open-circuit voltage, cyclic voltammetric curve and potentiodynamic potential of chalcopyrite and pyrite under different temperature and different solution conditions. We analyzed the dissolution mechanisms of chalcopyrite and pyrite under various leaching conditions. It was found that the oxidation of chalcopyrite is easier than that of pyrite in both aqueous and acidic solutions. In particular, the strength of chalcopyrite oxidation is in the order of aqueous solution, acidic solution and acidic solution with sodium chloride. Moreover, the introduction of copper (IT) chloride or ferric chloride into the acidic leaching system can greatly strengthen the direct oxidation and electrochemical dissolution of chalcopyrite.