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Influence of ferric iron on the electrochemical behavior of pyrite

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Abstract

The electrochemical behavior of a pyrite electrode in a sulfuric acid solution with different concentrations of ferric iron (Fe3+) was investigated using electrochemical techniques including measurements of open circuit potential, cyclic voltammetry, Tafel polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results show that the pyrite oxidation process takes place via a two-step reaction at the interface of the pyrite electrode and the electrolyte, and that a passivation film composed of elemental sulfur, polysulfides, and metal-deficient sulfide is formed during the process of the first-step reaction. Ferric iron plays an important role in the dissolution of pyrite by enhancing the direct oxidation. The Tafel polarization curves indicate that the polarization current of the pyrite electrode increases with an increase in Fe3+ concentration. It has also been shown that the higher concentration of Fe3+, the more easily the pyrite can be transformed into the passivation region. Moreover, the EIS response is found to be sensitive to changes in Fe3+ concentration.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant NO.40730741), the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program; Grant NO.AA061001), and the Open Foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry of China. The authors thank Dr. Jim Irish at South China University of Technology for language editing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Higher Education Mega Center, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Yun Liu, Zhi Dang, PingXiao Wu, Jing Lu, Xiaohua Shu & Liuchun Zheng

  2. The State Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China

    Zhi Dang

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  1. Yun Liu
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  2. Zhi Dang
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  3. PingXiao Wu
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Correspondence to Zhi Dang.

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Liu, Y., Dang, Z., Wu, P. et al. Influence of ferric iron on the electrochemical behavior of pyrite. Ionics 17, 169–176 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11581-010-0492-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11581-010-0492-4

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