Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Fosu, Allen Yushark
• Bartier, Danièle
• Diot, Frédéric
• Kanari, Ndue

Titel

Insight into the Extractive Metallurgy of Tin from Cassiterite

Ist Teil von

• Materials, 2024-07, Vol.17 (13), p.3312

Ort / Verlag

Switzerland: MDPI AG

Erscheinungsjahr

2024

Quelle

EZB Electronic Journals Library

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• This review details both the conventional and emerging methods of extracting tin from cassiterite. The emerging methods reviewed include sulphuric acid leaching of SnO, cooling crystallization of SnO, sulphide leaching, alkaline leaching, and dry chlorination. From these methods, the conventional approach (direct reduction smelting) stands out as the sole method that is suitable for industrial application, with none of the emerging ones being promising enough to be a contender. The thermodynamics involved in the hydrometallurgical extraction of tin from the mineral are also discussed. ΔGo values calculated at 25 °C for the reduction-dissolution of SnO using reducing gases revealed feasibility only when carbon monoxide was used. An indication of the possible species produced during the hydrolysis of the oxide of the metal (SnO and SnO) as a function of pH (ranging from -2 to 14 and 0 to 14 for SnO and SnO, respectively) was noted and highlighted to link a Pourbaix diagram generated from literature data. This diagram suggests that the solubility of SnO in both strongly acidic and alkaline media is possible, but with a small dissolution window in each. The purification and recovery routes of the various processing techniques were then envisaged.