Mathematical modelling of metal leaching in nonporous minerals

Abstract A model based on the shrinking-core principle is presented for three cases of oxidative metal leaching from nonporous mineral particles. Several limitations inherent in the assumptions of the traditional shrinking-core model, such as those of oxidation agent in excess and first-order irreversible kinetics, are overcome. In each case, an unconventional behavior observed in experimental data is explained through numerical leaching simulations.