Leaching of a complex Zn-Pb ore in sulfuric acid solution

In this study, the leaching behavior of a Gazipasa-Aydap complex Zn-Pb ore sample in sulfuric acid solutions was investigated. Firstly, the chemical and mineralogical compositions of the ore sample were determined by AAS, ICP-OES, XRF, and XRD analyses. The ore seemed to be very complex, containing major amounts of zinc (16.4%), lead (10.6%), iron (2.6%), and a minor amount of copper (0.2%). The leaching experiments demonstrated that 86.7% Zn, 90% Cu, and 25.2% Fe could be taken into the leach solution under the following conditions: 2 M sulfuric acid concentration, 25 °C leaching temperature, 1/10 solid-to-liquid ratio, and 125 rpm shaking rate. The effects of the leaching temperature on the metal dissolutions were also tested. The experimental results revealed that increasing the leaching temperature had no beneficial effect on zinc dissolution, but increased iron dissolution significantly. Overall, it was determined that zinc could be extracted from the complex ore using a short leaching time (30 min), a low leaching temperature (25 °C), a relatively low sulfuric acid concentration (2 M), and a relatively high solid-to-liquid ratio (2/10).