Mechanochemical Reduction of Synthetic Sulphidic Copper-Bearing Minerals in an Industrial Scale

Abstract

In this paper the mechanochemical reduction of binary sulphides chalcocite (Cu2S) and covellite (CuS) by elemental iron were investigated. The composition and properties of nano-powders prepared by high-energy milling were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and magnetic measurements. The XRD results showed that in case of chalcocite Cu2S the reaction takes place until 360 minutes, as no elemental iron, could be identified afterwards. In case of covellite CuS, after 480 minutes of mechanochemical reduction, a significant amount of non-reacted elemental iron could still be observed. The investigation of magnetic properties reveals significant decrease of saturation magnetization as a result of milling. XPS results showed a significant surface oxidation in both systems. Unlike the conventional high-temperature reduction of chalcocite and covellite, the mechanochemical reduction is fast and ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure are sufficient for its propagation.