Behavior of Nickel and Copper Sulfides and Their Mixtures in Sulfuric Acid Solutions

Abstract The behavior of nickel sulfide (Ni3S2), copper sulfide (Cu2S), and their mixture (Ni3S2 : Cu2S = 1 : 1) is studied under the leaching conditions in sulfuric acid solutions. The effects of the acid concentration, the temperature, and the leaching time on the dissolution kinetics and the phase compositions of the leaching residues of nickel sulfide Ni3S2 and the sulfide mixture are determined. The degrees of extraction of copper and nickel to the solution during the leaching of the individual sulfides and their mixture are compared. Only nickel passes to a solution upon the leaching of the mixture of the sulfides, and copper is absent from the solution until the complete dissolution of nickel sulfide.