Bioleaching and electrochemical experiments were conducted to evaluate marmatite dissolution in the presence of pure S.thermosulfidooxidans.The effects of particle size,p H controlling and external addition of Fe^3＋ ions on the zinc extraction were investigated.The results show that in the bioleaching process the best particle size range is 0.043-0.074 mm and adjusting p H regularly to the initial value has a profound effect on obtaining high leaching rate.External addition of Fe^3＋ ions could accelerate the bioleaching,while the concentration of additional Fe^3＋ over 2.5 g/L weakens the positive effect,and even hinders the dissolution of marmatite.SEM and XRD analyses of the leaching residues reveal that a product layer composed of elemental sulfur and jarosite is formed on the mineral surface,which results in a low leaching speed at later phase.The results of electrochemical measurements illustrate that additional Fe^3＋ ions could increase the corrosion current density,which is favorable to zinc extraction.The EIS spectra show that rate-limiting step does not change when Fe^3＋ ions are added.
