Kinetics of phosphorus removal from high-phosphorus iron ores by HCl leaching

The leaching kinetics of high-phosphorus iron ores in HCl solution was investigated. The effects of temperature ranging from 27 degrees C to 50 degrees C, particle size from 0.18-1.25 mm and HCl concentration from 0.5 to 3.5 mol center dot L-1 on the leaching efficiency of phosphorus were determined. The dissolution rates are significantly influenced by the temperature and concentration of acid solutions. The experimental results have been analyzed using the shrinking core model for diffusion control. The calculated apparent activation energy of the process is about 43.48 kJ center dot mol(-1), and a reaction order with respect to HCl is 0.64.