Kinetics of the dissolution of scheelite in aqueous Na4EDTA solutions

The reaction kinetics of the dissolution of pure scheelite (CaWO₄) particles in aqueous Na₄EDTA solutions were studied at atmospheric pressure. As expected, the dissolution rate increased with decreasing initial particle size and with increasing temperature and Na₄EDTA concentration. Further, the dissolution rate decreased as the initial solid-liquid ratio and the ionic strength of the solution were increased. The experimental results do not support the conventional shrinking-core model for a single irreversible reaction. A new shrinking-core model for multiple reactions, composed of a noninstantaneous reversible reaction (scheelite dissociation into the ions Ca²⁺ and WO ₄ ²⁻ ) and an instantaneous irreversible reaction (formation of Ca-EDTA complex), was presented. The observed dependency of the dissolution rate on the relevant operating variables was the same a the theoretical predictions based on the present shrinking-core model. The activation energy was 49800 J mol⁻¹. These findings justify the validity of the assumed kinetic model with the multiple reactions as the rate-controlling step. The dissolution rate expression was obtained as a function of the initial particle size, initial solid-liquid ratio, Na₄EDTA concentration, temperature, and ionic strength of the solution.