Post precipitation treatment of copper sulphide particles to improve settleability

Abstract

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references.In various attempts at producing metal sulphide particles from synthetic solutions, prodigious quantities of nuclei which grow only to colloidal dimensions have been frequently reported. This copious nucleation is promoted by high levels of supersaturation which characterises most precipitation reactions. Colloidal particle formation in precipitation-based separation processes results in sub-optimal solid-liquid separation that can be alleviated by the production of more crystalline particles or agglomerates. In order to enhance agglomeration and settling, investigations on the effect of dissolved lattice ions on settleability were performed