Abstract: The effects of surfactant on the solvent extraction in leaching sphalerite were
investigated. It is found that sodium dodecyl sulfonate is the effective surfactant in
improving the zinc recovery from sphalerite in the aqueous FeCla-HCl-tetrachloroethylene
system. Through the measurements of surface tension and viscosity of the sphalerite slurry
modified with different surfactants, it is concluded that sodium dodecyl sulfonate in the
concentration range of 0.05 to 0.2g@L-1 can improve the viscosity of sphalerite slurry in
the water, decrease the surface tension of leaching solution, prevent the aggregation of
ore particles, and give very high zinc extraction .

Key words: surfactant, zinc, solvent extraction, leaching

摘要： The effects of surfactant on the solvent extraction in leaching sphalerite were
investigated. It is found that sodium dodecyl sulfonate is the effective surfactant in
improving the zinc recovery from sphalerite in the aqueous FeCla-HCl-tetrachloroethylene
system. Through the measurements of surface tension and viscosity of the sphalerite slurry
modified with different surfactants, it is concluded that sodium dodecyl sulfonate in the
concentration range of 0.05 to 0.2g@L-1 can improve the viscosity of sphalerite slurry in
the water, decrease the surface tension of leaching solution, prevent the aggregation of
ore particles, and give very high zinc extraction .

关键词: surfactant;zinc;solvent extraction;leaching