Abstract
Leaching of particulate dead-burned magnesite with 0.5 M and 2.8 M hydrochloric acid was investigated with special regard to the effect of temperature (from 30°C to 60°C) on the rate of chemical dissolution of magnesium, calcium and iron. The leaching process was found to be selective at a given temperature, but no significant effect of temperature on the selectivity was observed. Maximum selectivity was reached in the initial stage of leaching and the differences in dissolution rates decreased with increase in fraction of dead-burned magnesite reacted. The difference between the “initial” fractions of the iron dissolved in diluted and concentrated hydrochloric acid is probably caused by much faster (“step-wise”) dissolution of the iron in the initial stage of leaching of dead-burned magnesite using 2.8 M hydrochloric acid solution.