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Leaching of Silver from Mechanically Activated Naumannite

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Abstract

In this paper, the structure, morphology, chemical composition and leaching of naumannite (Ag2Se) were studied. Mechanical activation of Ag2Se in a planetary ball mill resulted in increasing its specific surface area. The influence of milling time on the particle size was studied by particle size distribution analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The leaching kinetics of non-activated and mechanically activated samples in 3.5–7.9 mol/L HNO3 solutions were examined. Subsequently, the effect of leaching temperature in the range of 25–50°C on the recovery of silver from mechanically activated naumannite was documented. The maximum yield of silver 94% was achieved after 120 min of leaching in 7.9 mol/L HNO3 at 50°C for the sample mechanically activated for 30 min. Based on calculated activation energy values from the Arrhenius equation, a mixed leaching mechanism consisting of diffusion and surface chemical reaction as the rate-controlling steps of the solid-liquid reaction was assessed.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank R. Bureš for the PSD measurements.

Funding

This work was realized within the frame of the Slovak Research and Development Agency under the contract No. APVV-18-0357, and by the Slovak Grant Agency VEGA (projects 02/0036/23, 02/0136/23).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geotechnics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonova 45, 04001, Košice, Slovakia

    Katarína Gáborová, Marcela Achimovičová, Jaroslav Briančin & Oľga Šestinová

  2. Faculty of Materials, Metallurgy and Recycling, Institute of Metallurgy, Technical University of Košice, Letná 9, 04201, Košice, Slovakia

    Katarína Gáborová

  3. Mining Museum Příbram, Hynka Kličky Place 293, 261 01, Příbram VI, Czech Republic

    Pavel Škácha

  4. National Museum, Václavské nám. 68, 110 00, Prague 1, Czech Republic

    Pavel Škácha

  5. IANIGLA, CCT-Mendoza (CONICET), Avda. A. Ruiz Leal s/n, Parque San Martin, CC330, 5500, Mendoza, Argentina

    María Florencia Márquez-Zavalía

  6. Mineralogía y Petrología, F.A.D., Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Centro Universitario, 5502, Mendoza, Argentina

    María Florencia Márquez-Zavalía

Authors
  1. Katarína Gáborová
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Correspondence to Marcela Achimovičová.

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Gáborová, K., Achimovičová, M., Škácha, P. et al. Leaching of Silver from Mechanically Activated Naumannite. Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration 40, 505–515 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42461-023-00748-8

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