Investigation of the effect of electrolyte composition and nickel depassivating additives on the electrochemical behavior of nickel sulfide

This article deals with the hydrometallurgical technology of nickel sulfide (NiS) processing, in particular, the effect of electrolyte composition and depassivating additives on the electrochemical behavior of synthesized nickel sulfide. The kinetics and electrochemical behavior of nickel sulfide in sulfate, sulfite, chloride, bichromate, ammonia and copper-containing electrolytes were studied. Possible directions of the process of nickel sulfide anodic dissolution with the release of elemental sulfur and sulfides that contribute to surface passivation were shown. The depassivating effect of additives, in particular NaCl, KBr and K₂Cr₂O₇ was also studied. The results of studies suggest that: potassium bichromate has a depassivating effect on NiS anodic dissolution in Na₂SO₄ and NH4OH; the optimum concentration of potassium bichromate is around ≈30 g/dm³; sulfide sulfur oxidizes to SO₂ ^4- with NiS dissolution in the presence of K₂Cr₂O₇; NiS intensively dissolves in the pure Na₂SO₃ solution with the formation of insoluble Ni²⁺ hydroxy compounds featuring structure changes with changing pH; the combined action of NH₄OH and Na₂SO₃ causes intensive NiS dissolution with the formation of [Ni(NH₃)n]²⁺ ammonia complexes; the presence of acid anions capable of complexation with both Cu(I) and Cu(II) in copper-containing electrolytes leads to accelerated NiS anode dissolution; the most significant anode dissolution rates are observed in case of a nitrate-bromide system; molten sulfur formed on the NiS surface completely displaces, and copper-bromide complexes dissolve the Cu₂S film formed at low potentials; when 200 g/dm³ of KBr is added to 96.8 g/dm³ of Cu (NO₃)², greater NiS dissolution rates are observed than when 200 g/dm³ of NaCl is added to 67,22 g/dm³ of the CuCl₂ solution.

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