Abstract:
High-grade nickel matte is an important intermediate product in copper-nickel smelting. In order to reveal the interfacial reaction mechanism in the oxidation process, the leaching principles and oxidation behaviors of high-grade nickel matte in ammoniacal solution were investigated. Heazlewoodite (Ni
3S
2), chalcocite (Cu
2S), magnetite (Fe
3O
4) and ferronickel (Ni
3Fe) were detected after identifying the high-grade nickel matte samples by XRD, SEM and EDS. The leaching behavior of high-grade nickel matte in an ammoniacal solution was studied under exposure to air and anodic polarization conditions. The changes in high-grade nickel matte surfaces before and after the leaching process were observed by a metallographic microscope, and the composition of the leaching products was analyzed by XPS. The leaching results show that Ni
3S
2 and Cu
2S are oxidized successively, forming an oxide layer on the surface of the initial phase. The contrast experiments of anode polarization between the conical electrode with the working interface of single mineral phase and the multi-phase electrode show that Ni
3S
2 begins to oxidize near 0 V (
vs. SCE), decomposing into NiS
2, Ni
2+ and S
0, among which NiS
2 further decomposes into Ni
2+ and S
0. Meanwhile, Cu
2S Oxidation occurs near 0.3 V (
vs. SCE) to generate CuS and Cu
2O, and further oxidation to generate Cu
2O, Cu (OH)
2 and S
0 after increasing the potential.