Mechanochemistry in hydrometallurgy of sulphide minerals

The paper handles with the impact of mechanochemistry on hydrometallurgy of sulphide minerals. Mechanochemistry is a branch of solid-state chemistry dealing with the processes which take place within solids as a result of the application of mechanical energy. The application of mechanochemistry to hydrometallurgy is illustrated with short theoretical background and selected examples involving selective leaching of Zn from sphalerite ZnS, Zn sorption on pyrrhotite Fe1−XS, acid leaching of ZnS nanoparticles and selective Bi leaching from PbS concentrate. It is demonstrated that mechanochemical treatment of the sulphides leads to increased reaction rate, improved leaching selectivity and sorption efficiency and shows the enhanced leachability of nanocrystals.