Study of H2O adsorption on sulfides surfaces and thermokinetic analysis

Adsorption of water on mineral surfaces was studied using density functional theory and microcalorimetry technique. The calculation results show that galena and molybdenite are hydrophobic, while pyrite and sphalerite is hydrophilic. Thermokinetic analysis shows that the heat of adsorption is in decreasing order of pyrite, sphalerite, galena and molybdenite, which is in good agreement with the calculation results. The adsorption kinetics parameters of hydrophobic galena and molybdenite surfaces are close, while those of hydrophilic pyrite and sphalerite surfaces are very different. The adsorption rate of water on the sphalerite surface is larger than that of water on the pyrite surface. (C) 2013 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.