The effectiveness of jarosite species for precipitating sodium jarosite

The precipitation of jarosite-type compounds [e.g., NaFe3(SO4)(2)(OH)(6)] i s commonly used in the zinc industry to remove iron solubilized in the proc essing circuit. The precipitation reaction is greatly accelerated by the pr esence of jarosite seed, and the rate increases in a nearly linear manner w ith increasing seed additions. As shown in this study, sodium jarosite, pot assium jarosite, silver jarosite, and lead jarosite are equally effective a s seed for the precipitation of sodium jarosite. By extension, any jarosite -type compound would likely be an effective seed for the precipitation of a ny other jarosite species. The implication is that the zinc industry can re adily convert from one jarosite species to another without concerns about t he efficiency of the seed used.