OBJECTIVES

Dissolution or precipitation of various iron oxides/salts (eg goethite, hematite and jarosite) and other base metal oxides play an important role in the leaching and separation of valuable metals/metal oxides from laterite ores and ilmenite (an iron titanium oxide mineral).

There is an increasing interest in developing ambient/moderate temperature hydrometallurgical processing routes to avoid currently practiced roasting and pressure leaching steps in treating laterites and ilmenite. These hydrometallurgical processes would involve the reductive leaching of the relevant metal oxides.

However, the development of new processing methods for the reductive leaching and separation of metal oxides will require improved fundamental understanding of the thermodynamics and kinetics (rates) of the dissolution of the metal oxides.

Therefore, the objectives of this project include:

• generating reliable thermodynamic and kinetic (rate) data and models for metal oxide dissolution
  
• investigating the effect of free acid and various anions on the leaching of synthetic oxides and ores
  
• determining metal ion speciation (chemical species) and their influence on leaching and separation using ion-exchange resins and solvent extraction.

INDUSTRY BENEFITS

• novel ambient/moderate temperature selective leaching and separation methods for metal/metal oxide extraction from ilmenite and nickel laterites.

RESEARCH TEAM
Dr Gamini Senanayake (Project Leader)
Mr Jonathon Childs
Professor Mike Nicol
(Murdoch University)

PROJECT DURATION
2006-2009