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By Line Hallgren

The fluid flow in the mold during up-hill teeming is of great importance for the quality of the cast ingot and therefore the quality of the final steel products. At the early stage of the filling of an up-hill teeming mold, steel enters, with high velocity, through the nozzle into the mold and the turbulence on the meniscus could lead to entrainment of mold flux. The entrained mold flux might subsequently end up as defects in the final product. It is therefore very important to get a mild and stable inlet flow in the entrance region of the mold. It has been acknowledged recently that swirling motion induced using a twist tape swirl blade, in the submerged entry nozzle is remarkably effective to control the fluid flow pattern in both the slab and billet type continuous casting molds, resulting in increased productivity and quality of the produced steel. From the above result, we propose, swirling flow generated through a swirl blade inserted into the entry nozzle, as a new method of reducing the deformation of the rising surface and the unevenness of the flow during filling of the up-hill teeming mold. The swirling blade has two features: (1) to generate a swirling flow in the entrance nozzle and (2) to suppress the uneven flow, generated/developed after flowing through the elbow. The effect of the use of a twist tape swirl blade was studied using both numerical calculations and physical modeling. Water modeling was used to assert the effect of the swirling blade on rectifying of tangential and axial velocities in the filling tube for the up-hill teeming and also to verify the results from the numerical calculations.

Jan 1, 2006

"An atmospheric process for the synthesis of scorodite(DMSP®)has beendeveloped,in which ferrous ions were oxidized by oxygen gas in the presence of pentavalent arsenic ions. Under optimum conditions, the synthesized scorodite (FeAsO4?2H2O) was well crystallizedand the crystals were faceted; the particle sizes were as large as 15 to 20 µm. In thisstudy, iron (II) sulfate heptahydrate (FeSO4·7H2O), arsenic (V) acid (60mass%H3AsO4) solution, and distilled water were used to prepare the original experimental solution (700 ml), in which the contents of Fe(II) and As(V) were 55.9 g/L and 50.0 g/L, respectively. The effects of various synthesis conditions, such as the type of oxidizing gas (oxygen or air), gas injectionrate, temperature, and the initial pH of the solution, on the size and shape of the scorodite particles wereinvestigated. From the experimental results, the changes in the shape of the scorodite particles wereclarified for each synthesis condition.INTRODUCTIONDOWA has developed a processfor synthesizing well-crystallized scorodite (FeAsO4•2H2O). Theprocess is named andtrademarked as DMSP® (Fujita et al., 2008; Fujita et al., 2008; Fujita et al., 2009; Fujita et al., 2009; Fujita et al., 2009, Kubo et al., 2010). In this process, oxygen gas is injectedinto a sulfuric acid solution containing large amountsof As(V) and Fe(II). Facetedscorodite crystals as large as 15–20 µm weregeneratedthrough the pre-formation of a gel-like precursor. However, it is known that the synthesized scorodite particles become smaller and more aggregatedwhen the synthesis conditionsdeviate from the optimumconditions.In this study, the effects of various synthesis conditions, such as the type of oxidizing gas (oxygen or air), gas flowrate, temperature, and initial pH of the solution, on the size and shape of the scorodite particles were investigated. The experimental resultsclarified the changes in the shape of the scorodite particles for each synthesis condition."

Jan 1, 2016

By Devin Burns, Saima Ghazal, Michael Owusu-Tweneboah, Kwame Awuah-Offei

Trust in AI systems and the nature and amount of information about the system can influence decision-making. It is, therefore, crucial to understand how AI-powered monitoring systems (e.g., gas monitoring systems) influence miners’ trust and decision-making in emergency evacuation. This work focused on measuring the differences between how participants respond to a simulated underground mine emergency evacuation situation when warnings are represented as coming from a human or AI-based monitoring system. We also manipulated the amount of information participants received about the system, yielding a 2×2 between-participants survey design. The participants received an alert message about rising gas levels in a mine and provided a response on how they would react and reported their perceived safety. We also asked questions to assess their trust in, preference for AI over human-based gas monitoring systems, and whether they are willing to delegate the duties of underground gas monitoring to AI systems. The experiment results show the amount of information had a significant influence on miners’ trust and decision-making. The safety perception of participants based on age, number of children and ethnicity was significantly different from one category to another. This work provides valuable insights as the mining industry deploys AI systems to aid mine safety.

Feb 1, 2025

By K. Meshinchi Asl

In this study the effects of T4 and T6 heat treatments on microstructural characteristics of AZ91 alloy containing Rare Earth elements have been investigated. Formation of intermetallic Al1 1RE3 needle shape particles which have a good thermal stability reduces both formation of ß(Mg17A112) and discontinues precipitation in AZ91 alloy which are dominated at the grain boundaries and are responsible for poor mechanical properties specially in elevated temperatures. For AZ91-RE samples both T4 and T6 heat treatments led to a continuous precipitation of ß particles at the grain boundaries after aging. However, in AZ91 samples (with no Rare Earths) precipitation was discontinuous at grain boundary areas. This type of precipitation is one of the main reasons of poor mechanical properties of this alloy at elevated temperatures.

Jan 1, 2007

By M. Rafati

In this investigation, the effects of T4 and T6 heat treatments of AZ91 magnesium cast alloy have been studied. The effects of different microstructural details such as morphology, size and distribution of precipitates and their influence on fracture mechanisms were investigated by optical and scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical strength of the alloy after T6 treatment was found to increase in comparison to the T4 treatment, due to the formation of discontinuous precipitates in the grain boundaries. Precipitation in this alloy occurs in two ways: continuous precipitation, which nucleates and grows inside the grains, and discontinuous precipitation, which forms at the grain boundaries. During ageing, the length of the continuous precipitates increases, and, hence, interprecipitate distance decreases. The formation of discontinuous precipitates causes initiation and propagation of cracks at and the weakening of the grain boundaries. This is the principal reason for the reduction of the ultimate tensile strength in T6 heat treatment in comparison to the T4 condition.

Jan 1, 2006

By D. B. McDyre

THE object of this study was to compare variations in slag volumes with tap changes while maintaining all other factors constant. This meant: 1. Same type of heat (Spec. SAE 1030). 2. Same charging material (3500 lb foundry, 4000 lb bought scrap). 3. Same amount of sand by weight to fix slag line. 4. Same method of melting with the exception of tap changes. 5. Same method of weighing slag after each test. The equipment of the Dodge Steel Co. consists of a 132-ton Heroult furnace lined with silica brick, using three 8-in. electrodes and a 2000-kva transformer, with four tap changes. In the melting practice we use a Fischer Carbanalyzer and a Herty viscosimeter and try to standardize all heats by making necessary carbon and slag adjustment before boil to keep all heats as uniform as possible.

Jan 1, 1947

By Min Chen, Zhen Tian, Hongxu Cui

"The effects of adjusting technology on the phosphorous enrichment in converter slag were investigated. The results showed that the grain size of 2CaO·SiO2 with high phosphorus containing content increased slightly with the decreasing of cooling rate, and the proper cooling rate was confirmed to be about l.0°C.min-1. Moreover, the morphology of the phosphorus-rich phase of 2CaO·SiO2-3CaO·P2O 5 was changed from granular for the higher basicity of converter slag to the coexistence of granular shape and rod-like for the lower basicity of adjusted slag. With the addition of adjusting agent such as SiO2 to lower the basicity of converter slag, the phosphorus in converter slag could be transferred into 2CaO·Si02 phase effectively, and P2O 5 content in high phosphorus containing phase reached to above 30%.IntroductionThe yield of converter slag is very large in China, but most of the slag is stacked usually after the separation of iron, which not only takes up a lot of land, but also affects the ecological environment seriously. Therefore, improving the comprehensive utilization and value-added products of converter slag is of great significance to recycle the steelmaking slag[l-3]. On the other hand, the refining of hot metal with high phosphorous content is an unavoidable problem with the decreasing of high grade iron ore, and as a result, more amounts of high phosphorus containing steelmaking slag are produced. However, the current recycle of converter slag is more focused on the emission reduction and reuse of steelmaking slag inside the iron and steelmaking process without considering the recycle of phosphorous resources[4-6]. At the same time, the development and utilization of phosphate ore as a strategic resource is drawing more and more attention, but the phosphate ore in China is mostly low grade and significant amounts of tailings are produced which is harmful to the environment. Therefore, it is important to separate phosphorous resources in steelmaking slag which can be used as phosphate ore for fertilizer material[7-9].Literature studies showed that most of the phosphorus in steelmaking slag existing as 2CaO·SiO2-3CaO·P2O 5 solid solution phase in 2CaO·SiO2 particle. The P2O 5 content in the phosphorus containing phase is very low due to the fact that the basicity of converter slag is usually high and the precipitated amounts of 2CaO·SiO2 particles during cooling are very large, resulting in the fact that the P2O 5 contents in 2CaO·SiO2-3CaO·P2O 5 solid solution phase are much lower which is impossible to be used as phosphorous resources instead of phosphate ore. Thus, the enrichment of phosphorus in steelmaking slag is need[ 10-14]."

Jan 1, 2011

By Cheng Yan, Yugang Li, Qian Wang, Lizhi Zhang

In continuous casting process, mold powder has lots of metallurgical effects, such as covering the molten steel to prevent liquid steel from oxidation by air, preserving heat for top layer liquid steel, lubricating initial shell and so on. However, mold powder also can deteriorate the quality of final products obviously after the entrapment of mold powder in steel. In the present work, based on the similarity theory the effect of technological parameters on mold powder entrainment was investigated by water model. Experiment was carried out in the water mold using oil and water to simulate slag and steel, respectively. The results showed that increasing casting speed increased the water-oil interfacial fluctuation and entrainment frequency; viscosity of oil also had a great impact on the interface fluctuation and entrainment; water-oil interfacial tension effect the entrainment while not changing the interfacial fluctuation; submergence depth had little impact on entrainment and interfacial fluctuation.

Jan 1, 2015

By Wu Y. H, Lu J. P

Slope stability has now become a practical tool in the design and oper- ation of open pits. The stability of rock slope depends on many factors, including not only structural geology, the existence of weak layers, ground- water, blasting and weathering, but also the virgin stress field. This paper presents an application of a numerical method to investigate the effect of the virgin stress on slope stability. The finite element method is employed to simulate the excavation of open pits. Redistributed stress fields in the slope of open pit are computed for several different virgin stress fields. Based on the redistributed stress fields, the shear force which tends to produce sliding of a rock mass and the frictional resistance to sliding are evaluated. The possibility of potential failure is assessed by the limit equilibrium method. The combination of the finite element method with the equilibrium method provides a powerful analytical tool for slope stability. The significant effect of virgin stress on the stability of slopes is shown by studying a typical case.

Jan 1, 1989

By H. l. Burghoff

THE presence of tellurium in copper and, by inference, in copper alloys, has been considered seriously detrimental and has been avoided. In particular, very small amounts of tellurium have been found to produce red-shortness, although the effects on cold-working and ordinary physical and mechanical properties have not been known so definitely. References in the literature are few, but as long ago as 1881, Egleston1 reported that 0.083 per cent tellurium in fire-refined copper rendered the copper red-short and therefore worthless for hot-rolling. In hot-rolling copper cakes containing this amount of tellurium, he found that fine cracks appeared in the cakes on the first pass through the rolls, the cracks opening further in successive passes. When cold, the metal was said to be tough and malleable. A few years ago, during the course of an investigation in our laboratory on copper-base alloys, it was found that tellurium-bearing alloys could be machined much more freely than similar alloys not containing tellurium. The study was pursued further in this direction, and considerable data were obtained, which indicated that certain tellurium-bearing alloys might have properties of commercial interest. The work eventually led to patent protection,2 a wide range of tellurium-bearing copper-base alloys being covered. This article presents results obtained on the effect of tellurium on the. mechanical properties of three copper-base alloys: commercial bronze (90 Cu, 10 Zn), 1.5 per cent tin bronze (98.5 Cu, 1.5 Sn), and silicon bronze (96 Cu, 3Si, 1 Zn).

Jan 1, 1937

By Felipe Darabas Rzatki

Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) is a high performance thermoplastic often selected for high temperature tribological applications under chemically aggressive environments. The present work evaluate the tribological behavior of a high performance PEEK composite under ambient and high temperature (30 and 80°C, respectively). The atmosphere was also varied (air or tetrafluorethane). An AMTI tribometer equipped with a hermetic chamber and a heating system was used to carry out sliding tests of PEEK cylinders on 304 stainless steel polished discs (Sq < 10 nm) with reciprocating movement and 175 N normal force. Surfaces roughness analyses were performed with a white light interferometer. As expected, there was a strong influence of temperature on the tribological behavior of the samples tested in ambient atmosphere (25% decrease in friction coefficient associated with a 100% increase in wear rate). On the other hand, samples tested in tetrafluorethane atmosphere showed no significant friction temperature dependence.

Jul 31, 2018

By John Chipman, Eric R. Jette, O. B. Ellis

IN the study of the chemical reactions occurring in the open-hearth furnace, it is frequently assumed that a condition of equilibrium between slag and metal is attained. In order to test this assumption it is necessary to have dependable operating data as well as an exact knowledge of the equilibrium state. Considerable progress has already been made in the study of slag-metal equilibria, notably in the earlier work of Herty1 and of Oberhoffer and Schenck2 and in the more recent researches of Krings and Schackmann3 and of Koerber and Oelsen.4 None of these investigators, however, have employed basic slags comparable to those encountered in basic open-hearth practice, so that up to the present time our only information regarding the equilibria of these slags is based upon observations drawn from steelmaking practice in which there is little assurance that actual equilibrium was attained. The original plan of this investigation was to secure simultaneous slag and metal samples at intervals during the making of an open-hearth heat, recording the heat history in detail and obtaining complete analyses of slag and metal, then to bring these slag samples into equilibrium with liquid iron in the laboratory induction furnace and thus to determine directly whether or not the observed relationships in the open hearth represent conditions approaching equilibrium. This plan was only partly successful. While slags were obtained from the open hearth under satisfactorily recorded conditions and these were remelted in the laboratory under equilibrium conditions, changes in slag composition, which accompanied the remelting operation, were so great that the final slag from the induction furnace bore little resemblance to its open-hearth parent and the direct comparison was therefore abandoned. The results, however, lie within a range of slag composition that is of interest in the making of low-carbon steel. As far as we are aware, they represent the first published laboratory study of equilibria involving slags that contain all the constituents of basic open-hearth slag. EXPERIMENTAL HEATS The first set of measurements on slagmetal equilibrium was made in the Research Laboratories of the American Rolling Mill Co. at Middletown, Ohio. This will be known as series A. The second set was made in the Metallurgical Research Laboratories at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and will be referred to as series B. Series A.-The induction furnace used has been described.5 Approximately I kg. of a special ingot iron containing less than

Jan 1, 1941

By J. B. Caine

THE investigation outlined in this paper was carried on at the plant of the Sawbrook Steel Castings Co., Lockland, Ohio. EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE In the study of the effect of temperature, heats were made with the Sawbrook company&apos;s standard practice, using multiple slags, the only difference&apos; being that the heats were tapped at two temperatures; one group between 2960° and 3040°F and the other group between 3200° and 3250°F. Slags were weighed throughout the heat at each slag change and after the heat was poured. Only the significant slag weights, those of the total slag and the finishing slag, have been reported.

Jan 1, 1947

By V. D. Tathavadkar

Chromite ore is of immense importance for the extraction of metallic chromium and chromium chemicals. The mineralogy and crystal structure of chromite phase are therefore important part of our investigation on the extraction chemistry of chromium species. In this investigation, we have studied the effect of the processing parameters, i.e., the temperature and the oxygen potential on the microstructure and composition of mineral phases formed in the Cr2O3 ?Al2O3 -FexOy -MgO system. In particular the importance of the spinodal decomposition reaction is emphasized in the extraction of chromium as sodium chromite and sodium chromate. Experiments were carried out in order to study the differences in the crystallography of different chromite minerals. Phase equilibria in natural chromite minerals were investigated by calcining chromite mineral in air, argon, and 5% hydrogen + argon atmospheres over a temperature range from 200 to 1200 °C. The effect of the oxygen partial pressure and temperature on the phase constituents of the calcined product has been discussed. The microstructural changes were examined using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the changes in elemental composition in different phases were analysed by electron probe micro analyser (EPMA). The results obtained from EPMA studies were used to calculate lattice parameter of the spinel lattice, and these values were compared with the values obtained from X-Ray powder diffraction data. On the basis of the experimental data, the mechanism of the spinodal decomposition of complex spinel phases is described under the influence of oxygen partial pressure and temperature.

Jan 1, 2000

By Sebastian Fredes, Williams Calderon, Mauricio Toledo, Gonzalo Montes-Atenas

The influence of the temperature on leaching kinetics of copper-bearing minerals has been widely acknowledged: the leaching of copper oxide ores is generally described as exothermic reactions while copper sulfide ores are associated with endothermic reactions. Reports studying the influence of temperature on leaching kinetics at laboratory scale frequently involve the implementation of either fully flooded isothermal systems or jacketed column setups. Nevertheless, at industrial scale controlling or monitoring the temperature or temperature changes is almost impractical. In fact, leaching process is usually a large tonnage operation and changing the temperature of vast amounts of material would require an enormous amount of energy and highly specific heat transfer equipment. Preliminary computations on the amount of energy required to increase the temperature of a heap or dump in 1°C indicates that it would be impossible to find an energy source able to accomplish the task. In order to provide a solution to this matter it is suggested to create an energy managing protocol (EMP) that permits heat up or down the porous body locally taking advantage from the temperature gradients and from the reactivity of different regions within the material as a function of the leaching cycles. The aim of this study is to evaluate different heat transfer regimes in a 1 ton pilot column leach operation. It was found that best results of copper recovery are obtained when heating up the column in horizontal bands starting from the top of the column moving downwards as the leach cycle evolves. The system is expected to be suitable for industrial applications, but further development of the technique is required, particularly in the design of the heat transfer dispositive.

Jan 1, 2014

By I. U. Onyenanu, C. E. Ilochonwu, E. I. Nwonye, C. O. Nwajagu

This work shows how pure silica was derived directly from rice husks ash (RHA) in different temperatures for reduction to Silicon (Si). The processes to form Si materials are usually complex, costly and energy-intensive. The silica in the ash undergoes structural transformations depending on the conditions of combustion. A high purity silica was produced at 650oC after burning the rice husk (RH) for up to 7 hours. The purity of the silica was determined by dissolving the RHA with alkali solution to form sodium silicate solution of pH 11.0. This was added to hydrochloric acid of pH 1.5 which lowered the pH of the solution to 4.0 to form silica gels. The silica gels produced were washed and dried to powder and then characterized using XRD and EDX techniques. This study was done to reduce energy waste and environmental pollution in Nigeria as silica is used to develop many materials.

Jan 1, 2015

By H. R. Manouchehri

Large variations in flotation characteristics of minerals have been observed in winter and summer in plant practices as a result of changes in pulp temperature. Variations in temperature may affect the quality for pulp and related process water through changes in dissociation of different chemical species within the pulp, as well as changing in gas and metal hydroxide solubility, reagent adsorption and its stability on mineral surfaces, water/pulp viscosity, etc. All of these affect the flotation characteristics of specific mineral to some degree or another. It has been observed in Cu-Pb-Zn and/or Pb-Zn sulfides flotation that sphalerite (ZnS) flotation is strongly affected by changes in pulp temperature. Plant practices have shown that at the both low, e.g., T <10-12°C, and high, e.g., T > 60°C, the recovery for copper activated sphalerite is dramatically dropped. Within this paper the effect of pulp temperature on flotation characteristics of sphalerite is brought into considerations and laboratory flotation tests were conducted in conjunction with surface and solution chemistry analysis to understand the effect of temperature on sphalerite recovery. The effect of temperature seems to be complex since the temperature affects both the physical (hydrodynamics) and chemical phenomena in the flotation cell. In fact all sub-processes in flotation, i.e., collision, attachment and detachment, are affected by changing in temperature. Experimental results indicating that at alkaline pH values, e.g., 8.5 to 10.5, the recovery for copper-activated sphalerite is dramatically reduced when temperature is below 10-12°C, which is in agreement with plant practice at Boliden?s Garpenberg plant in Sweden. However, results from other studies indicated that the zinc recovery is also considerably decreased at high pulp temperatures, i.e., 62°C and above.

Sep 1, 2012

By Hui-bin Wu, Rui Yuan, Yang Gu, Peng-cheng Zhang, Zheng-zhi Zhao

The corrosion behavior of three kinds of medium-Cr rolled steel pipeline steels in carbon dioxide collecting and transporting environment at different temperatures was studied. The results shew that the 5Cr sample was most affected by temperature. When the temperature rised from 30 °C to 90 °C, the corrosion rate increased from 0.12 mm/a to 1.87 mm/a, which was increased 15.6 times. The corrosion rate of 7Cr steel at 30 °C was similar to that of 5Cr steel. However, as the temperature increased, the corrosion rate rised slowly, increasing by 2.4 times at 90 °C. The corrosion rate of 9Cr steel was not obvious with temperature, and it was always below 0.06 mm/a. The thickness of the corrosion product film of the three samples gradually increased below 70 °C, and suddenly increased above 70 °C. This was related to the negative temperature coefficient of the solubility of FeCO3, and the thickening of the product film also affected the ion exchange of the cathodic reaction. An increase in the Cr content contributed to grain refinement and increased the proportion of the small-angle grain boundaries. More fine grains mean an increase in the total length of the grain boundaries, which could provide a diffusion channel for the free Cr element; on the other hand, the low-angle grain boundary structure was more orderly, with a lower free volume and lower interface energy. Under the combined effect of both, 9Cr steel and 7Cr steel had high volta potential and better corrosion

Oct 1, 2019

By Z. Zhang, Zongshu Zou, Nan Wang

"Thermodynamic calculation is applied to make an investigation on the equilibrium phase relations and liquids of CaO-SiO2-Al2O3-FeOx system for different temperatures. The calculated results with FactSage6.1 show that the effect of temperature on the the equilibrium phase relations and liquidus of CaO-SiO2-Al2O3-FeOx system and its sub-systems is appreciable. The liquid phase regions enlarge with increasing temperature from 1573K to 1873K, while the primary phase fields reduce distinctly.IntroductionThe main oxide components of vitrified bottom ash slag are CaO, Al2O3, SiO2, Fe2O3, MgO, and Na2O, accounting for more than 90% of the bottom ash by weight[1]. During slag processing, the knowledge of thermodynamic properties and liquidus temperature in the related slag systems is highly required [2, 3], which is not yet available. Through literature survey [4-6], it is clear that the systematic information on the concerned complex slag system is scarce. So far the engineers in the field have to make assumptions of the thermodynamic properties of the simplified oxide system, without taking into consideration the interactions of the different oxide components, which hinders the development of the slag valorization and utilization. In order to provide thermodynamic properties for the application of the vitrified bottom ash, the six-component oxide system (CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-FeOx-Na2O) is highly required. A preliminary phase diagram of the CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-FeOx-Na2O system can be obtained from extrapolation of the thermodynamic functions of constituent subsystems such as CaO-SiO2-FeOx-MgO, CaO-SiO2-FeOx-Al2O3, CaO-SiO2-Na2O-MgO and CaO-SiO2-Na2O-Al2O3. In this work, the equilibrium phase relation and liquidus of CaO-SiO2-FeOx-Al2O3 system, one subsystem of the concerned complex slag system, are calculated and the effect of temperature is also discussed."

Jan 1, 2012

By Ahmad Ghahreman, Lin Li

"In this study, the Fe(II)/Fe(III) redox reaction kinetics on the surface of pyrite, have been investigated in a 0.5 mol L-1 sulfuric acid solution for a temperature range of 22 to 65°C. Based on mixed potential theory, chronoamperometry is introduced to study the Fe(II)/Fe(III) kinetics by subtracting the current density of pyrite oxidation in an iron-free acidic solution from that in an iron-containing solution at the same applied polarized potential. Tafel behavior was established by this method to analyze the kinetics of the Fe(II)/Fe(III) redox reactions. The results showed that exchange current densities increased slightly with temperature, however remained on the order of 10-5 A cm-2. The activation energy for Fe(II) oxidation and Fe(III) reduction on the pyrite surfaces was calculated to be 102.0 and 32.7 kJ mol-1, respectively. Anodic transfer coefficients also increased, from 0.24 to 0.39, with increasing temperature, which indicates a weakened n-type semiconductor property at higher temperatures. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements have indicated that at lower anodic over potentials the charge transfer is the rate determining step of pyrite oxidative dissolution in sulfuric acid solution. In the presence of Fe ions, the major contribution of the total current density comes from the Fe(II)/Fe(III) redox reaction. INTRODUCTION Pyrite, an abundant sulfides mineral in the nature, is commonly considered a valueless gangue mineral frequently associated with other valuable sulfide minerals such as chalcopyrite, or metals such as gold, or coal (Lin & Say, 1999). Pyrite oxidation has been the subject of extensive research in view of gold metallurgy, as oxidation of pyrite is the initial step to break down the pyrite lattice and expose the encapsulated fine gold particles (Gasparrini, 1983). Fe(III) ion and dissolved oxygen (DO) have generally been considered as the two most important oxidants with respect to pyrite oxidation, having been studied extensively in previous research (Zheng, Allen, & Bautista, 1986; King Jr & Lewis, 1980). The process of pyrite oxidation can be viewed as a series of reactions amongst pyrite, ferrous, ferric and oxygen in which pyrite is initially oxidized by the dissolved oxygen in water forming ferrous (Eq. 1), and then the ferrous also is oxidized by he dissolved oxygen to form ferric (Eq. 2). The ferric, produced by reaction 2, then could potentially oxidize pyrite (Eq. 3) and convert to ferrous."

Jan 1, 2017