This paper reports on the application of molten chloride salts, NaCl and CaCl 2 , for extraction of potassium from Oxley rock (ultrapotassic microsyenite) mined in Western Australia based on both experimental kinetic and thermochemical analysis. The reaction parameters of temperature, time, and salt to ore ratio were systematically analyzed, and a potassium extraction of more than 90% and 87% using CaCl 2 and NaCl, respectively, was obtained. In this paper, thermochemical equilibrium models have also been developed which show excellent agreement with experimental data and also allow one to predict how the system deviates from equilibrium where the maximum potassium extraction can be obtained. Also, this study offers a potential comparison between the use of NaCl and CaCl 2 in terms of potassium extraction and reaction mechanism. Different mineralogical studies have been conducted to characterize the ore and also to understand the reaction principle of the ore with NaCl and CaCl 2 .
This
kinetic experimental analysis reports on the application of
a eutectic NaCl–CaCl
2
salt system for the extraction
of potassium from ultrapotassic microsyenite. The reaction parameters,
time, temperature, salt composition, and salt to ore ratio, were systematically
analyzed. It was found that a salt mixture increases the potassium
cation extraction in comparison with using either pure NaCl or pure
CaCl
2
. It was also found that adding CaCl
2
into
pure NaCl has a considerably stronger effect on increasing the potassium
recovery than adding NaCl to pure CaCl
2
. The salt as a
melting agent offers a reduction in the reaction temperature due to
its lower melting temperature when compared to pure salts (NaCl or
CaCl
2
). Approximately 70% of K
+
in the deposit
was extracted at 650 °C. Different characteristic methods have
been used to understand the reaction mechanism of the salt mixture
and ore, as well as to qualify and quantify the end product mineral
phases.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.