Oxidation dissolution mechanism of copper matte anode

Copper matte is a metal sulfide eutectic formed during the smelting process in pyrometallurgical metal Cu extraction. Traditional smelting processes for processing copper matte produce large amounts of sulfur oxides, causing severe environmental pollution. This study proposes a novel method for recovering sulfur at the anode and metal Cu at the cathode through electrolysis in an H2SO4-Fe3+-NaCl solution. The anodic dissolution mechanism of copper matte was investigated, followed by experimental validation. Results demonstrate that, this study successfully achieved the anodic electrolysis of copper matte in an H2SO4-Fe3+-NaCl solution, producing metal Cu with a purity of 97.94 % and sulfur with a purity of 96.22 %. The anodic dissolution process is influenced by sulfide impurities and is controlled by a combination of transport resistance, interfacial electrical contact resistance, charge transfer resistance, and ion diffusion resistance. This process enables simultaneous recovery of metal Cu and sulfur resources, eliminates sulfur oxide emissions from conventional pyrometallurgical processes, simplifies the metallurgical workflow, and enhances the efficient recycling of sulfur resources.