The effectiveness of jarosite species for precipitating sodium jarosite

The precipitation of jarosite-type compounds [e.g., NaFe3(SO4)(2)(OH)(6)] is commonly used in the zinc industry to remove iron solubilized in the processing circuit. The precipitation reaction is greatly accelerated by the presence of jarosite seed, and the rate increases in a nearly linear manner with increasing seed additions. As shown in this study, sodium jarosite, potassium jarosite, silver jarosite, and lead jarosite are equally effective as seed for the precipitation of sodium jarosite. By extension, any jarosite-type compound would likely be an effective seed for the precipitation of any other jarosite species. The implication is that the zinc industry can readily convert from one jarosite species to another without concerns about the efficiency of the seed used.