Dissolution Kinetics of the Hydrometallurgical Extraction of Tin from a Nigerian Cassiterite Ore Obtained From Jibia Local Government Katsina State

Abstract

The importance of exploiting mineral resources has grown significantly in developing countries, including Nigeria, as a result of excessive reliance on revenue generated from oil and gas exports and insufficient attention given to exploring solid minerals. This study focused on investigating the leaching kinetics of a Nigerian cassiterite ore in hydrochloric acid. The raw ore and leached residue were subjected to EDXRF analysis to determine chemical composition, SEM imaging to assess morphological structure and photomicrograph, and XRD for mineralogical analysis; The effects of hydrochloric acid concentration, agitation speed, temperature and particle size on the dissolution rates of the ore were examined. The findings revealed that agitation speed, temperature and concentration of hydrochloric acid positively influenced the leaching rate of the cassiterite ore. However, the leaching rate decreased with an increase in particle size. Under optimal leaching conditions (HCl 2.0 mol/L, 75°C, 45 µm, 400 rpm, 120 min.), approximately 87% of the ore reacted within 120 minutes. The reaction order was calculated to be 0.58, while the activation energy was evaluated as 23.72 J/mol from the dissolution data. Therefore, the findings find relevance in the design of industrial plants for beneficiation of tin ore; towards boosting sustainable and efficient methods for tin recovery from its ore, and boosting Nigeria's foreign reserves.