Leaching in a bubble‐column slurry reactor

Abstract

Abstract Experimental leaching runs were carried out in a continuous concurrent laboratory size bubble column 5.2 cm in internal diameter and 2.90 m tall. The system studied was the dissolution of a synthetic covellite (CuS) in ammoniacal solution in the presence of pure oxygen. Behaviour of the column with respect to gas holdup and solids concentration profiles was measured without reaction by using nitrogen in place of oxygen. Gas holdup values were in agreement with literature results. However, solids concentration profiles for the mixed particle size solid used were of a more complex nature than those obtained for uniformly sized solids. Conversions obtained at various temperatures and gas and liquid velocities were analyzed in terms of the estimated rates of the individual rate processes occurring. From these results, gas absorption rate was clearly the controlling mechanism at high temperatures, and surface chemical reaction rate was controlling at low temperatures. Hence, the rate controlling steps can be identified in bubble column reactors from currently available literature correlations, together with independent kinetic measurements.