Association Law of Sulfur and Different Components in Zinc Smelting High-Sulfur Residue

The changes in the wetting angle between sulfur and the main minerals in high-sulfur residue were investigated, which reflected the degree of difficulty of association between sulfur and the different minerals under various conditions. Sphalerite, pyrite, gypsum, quartz, and muscovite were selected as the research objects. The experimental results indicated that the wetting angle between sulfur and the five minerals decreases gradually with an increase in the temperature and reaches a stable level at approximately 130°C. Increasing the contents of the additives and the oxygen partial pressure can promote the separation of sulfur and the five minerals. Adding sulfuric acid to the system is conducive to the separation of sulfur and muscovite but not to the separation of sulfur and the other four minerals. Finally, according to the experimental data and a similarity theory, criterion equations for the wetting angle between sulfur and the five minerals were deduced.