Influence of various stabilizing factors on an elemental sulfur emulsion during high-temperature leaching of nickel-pyrrhotine concentrates

It is shown that the problems of decomposition of the three-phase sulfur emulsions that form during hydrothermal oxidation of pyrrhotine and the choice of conditions of their stabilization represent one of the main problems of the theory and practice of the pressure oxidizing leaching (POL) of nickel-pyrrhotine concentrates (NPCs) carried out at high temperatures. The character and the degree of influence of a number of stabilizing factors (mixing intensity, consumption of commercial lignosulphonates (LSNs), amount of added gangue) on the particle size distribution of elemental sulfur during POL of NPCs, which have different contents of the main components, are studied. Mathematical statistics is used to derive regression equations and response surfaces to describe the dependence of the extraction of elemental sulfur into hard-to-float particle size classes (−10 µm, +150 µm) on the factors under study. It is found that the key factor that determines the particle size distribution of elemental sulfur is the consumption of LSN surfactants during high-temperature leaching of NPCs irrespective of the chemical-mineralogical composition. A pronounced synergetic effect of a positive influence of LSN and a rock-containing addition is experimentally detected during leaching of high-sulfur NPC.