Enhancing Physicochemical Properties and Indium Leachability of Indium-Bearing Zinc Ferrite Mechanically Activated Using Tumbling Mill

The synthetic indium-bearing zinc ferrite (IBZF) was activated mechanically using a tumbling mill under different rotation speeds, milling times, media fillings, and ball-to-material ratios. Subsequently, the changes in the physicochemical properties and leaching behavior of IBZF induced by mechanical activation were studied by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), Mössbauer spectrometry, particle size analysis, and leaching tests in sulfuric acid. The results showed that different milling conditions could form different particle size distribution, morphologies, and crystal structures, which influenced indium extraction differently. In addition, the indium extractions from various activated samples were related closely to the changes of physicochemical properties induced by mechanical activation. The strengthening effect of mechanical activation in IBZF decomposition lies mainly in the damage of crystal structure besides the decrease of the particle size because the indium-leaching efficiencies increased significantly with the increase of the damage of the crystal structure when the particle size is kept constant.