Study of the Dissolution Behavior of Muscovite in Stone Coal by Oxygen Pressure Acid Leaching

The dissolution behavior of muscovite in stone coal during the oxygen pressure acid leaching process was studied. The study showed that the dissolution behaviors of V, Al, and K were similar. K was the most easily leached, followed by Al, and then by V during oxygen pressure acid leaching process. When the reaction temperature exceeded 423 K (150 °C), alunite was generated, which led to vanadium losses because of its absorption performance. The dissolution of the muscovite in stone coal mainly depended on H2SO4 concentration and temperature. O2 had a main effect not on muscovite’s dissolution but on the V3+ oxidation. During the oxygen pressure acid leaching process, (1) the interfacial K in the muscovite lattice was dissolved rapidly, producing a new interface; (2) for charge balance, the interfacial O absorbed hydrogen ions to form hydroxy; (3) the interfacial hydroxy reacted with hydrogen ions and left vacancy as a result of O loss, producing more new surface to expose more Al, V, and Si; (4) the interfacial Al or V was exchanged by hydrogen ions and V3+ was oxidized to V4+ and V5+; and (5) Si hardly reacted with H+ and generated high-Si surface.