Studi Kinetika Proses Atmospheric Pressure Acid Leaching Bijih Laterit Limonit Menggunakan Larutan Asam Nitrat Konsentrasi Rendah

A B S T R A C T Kinetics study of atmospheric pressure acid leaching (APAL) process is indispensable for extractor design in an industrial scale. So far, the kinetic model used for this process is the shrinking core model. In this study, the shrinking core model was evaluated against experimental data for laterite leaching process using a solution of low concentration nitric acid (0.1 M). Variations in temperature and particle size were carried out at 303–358 K and <75–250 microns. Other operating conditions, such as pulp density, stirring speed, and time were kept at 20% w/v, 200 rpm, and 120 minutes, respectively. The model evaluation results showed that the shrinking core model was not suitable for this process because the process controlling stage is not just one stage only. Keywords : kinetics; laterite; leaching; shrinking core. A B S T R A K Studi terkait kinetika proses atmospheric pressure acid leaching (APAL) sangat diperlukan untuk proses perancangan ekstraktor dalam skala industri. Selama ini, model kinetika yang digunakan untuk proses tersebut adalah model shrinking core . Dalam studi ini, model shrinking core dievaluasi terhadap data percobaan proses leaching bijih laterit dengan menggunakan larutan asam nitrat konsentrasi rendah, 0,1 M. Variasi suhu dan ukuran partikel dilakukan pada 303–358 K dan <75–250 mikron. Kondisi operasi lainnya, seperti densitas pulp, kecepatan pengadukan, dan lama proses dijaga tetap pada 20%b/v, 200 rpm, dan 120 menit, secara berurutan. Hasil evaluasi model menunjukkan bahwa model shrinking core tidak cocok untuk proses ini karena tahapan pengendali proses tidak hanya satu tahapan saja. Kata kunci : kinetika; laterit; leaching ; shrinking core