Utilization of formic acid solutions in leaching reaction kinetics of natural magnesite ores

In the present research work, dissolution kinetics of natural magnesite is carried out using formic acid as a leaching agent. The effect of various reaction parameters such as temperature, acidic solution concentration, particle size and liquid to solid ratio was studied regarding the leaching kinetics of natural magnesite. The findings show that the dissolution process is controlled by the chemical reaction (intrinsic) at the liquid-solid interface; 1-(1-x)(1/3)=59.41 x 10(1) e(-42078/RT)t. The apparent activation energy of the leaching process of magnesite with the formic acid was found to be 42.08 kJ mol(-1) over the reaction temperature range of 318 to 348 K. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.