Potential of a Nigerian Cassiterite Ore for Industrial Steel Coatings

As the world demand for pure tin and its compounds are quite steady with an estimated projection of 5% per annum and coupled with its wide array of applications in iron and steel industries in Sub-Sahara Africa, the need for continuous ore purification has become paramount. Thus, the treatment of Nigerian cassiterite ore for industrial value addition by selective acid leaching and solvent extraction was investigated. The effects of leachant concentration, temperature, and particle size on ore dissolution rates were examined. At optimal leaching conditions, 76.7% ore reaction was achieved within 120 min. Tin recovery from the leach liquor by 0.5 mol/L tributyl phosphate (TBP) in kerosene at 27 \( \pm \) 2 °C gave 89.31% efficiency. Stripping of tin from organic-loaded phase recorded 98.9% purity and beneficiated to obtain high-grade tin chloride (SnCl2, melting point: 239.7 °C; density: 3.89 g/cm3), suitable as steel coating indices in some defined indigenous steel industry.