Iron recovery from sulphate leach liquors in zinc hydrometallurgy

Iron is usually present in leach solutions and its elimination is a major operational problem in zinc hydrometallurgy. The recovery of iron from such solutions is usually carried out by precipitation as jarosite, goethite or hematite. These residues, contaminated with heavy metals ions such as Zn, Pb, In, Ga, Ge, Co and sulphur, are environmentally unacceptable and their disposal in controlled ponds is very expensive. This fact justifies the interest in producing iron as a marketable product––pure hematite. With this purpose solvent extraction is being investigated as a promising alternative for the recovery of iron from leach solutions.