TITLE:
Metal Extraction Process for High Grade Stibnite of Kharan (Balochistan Pakistan)
AUTHORS:
Irfan Hafeez, Saqib Nasir, Samreen Zahra, Muhammad Aamir, Zahid Mahmood, Adnan Akram
KEYWORDS:
Antimony, Stibnite, Extraction, Recovery Yield
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Minerals and Materials Characterization and Engineering,
Vol.5 No.1,
January
12,
2017
ABSTRACT: A rapid and simple process has been developed for the recovery of antimony metal from stibnite ore of Kharan area (Balochistan) of Pakistan. The ore was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique and found to contain 66% stibnite i.e. antimony sulfide (Sb2S3). The process parameters for the extraction of antimony were optimized on laboratory scale by varying reaction temperature from 900℃ - 1000℃, reaction time from 20 - 80 minutes and flux concentration was varied from 5 - 25 weight percent of the reaction mixture. The metal thus recovered with optimum conditions was evaluated by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) technique and was found to be more than 94% pure. The recovery yield calculated on the basis of stibnite present in the ore was 98.52%.