Pyrite oxidation: a state-of-the-art assessment of the reaction mechanism

The oxidation of pyrite to release ferrous iron and sulfate ions to solution involves the transfer of seven electrons from each sulfur atom in the mineral to an aqueous oxidant. Because only one or, at most, two electrons can be transferred at a time, the overall oxidation process is quite complex. Furthermore, pyrite is a semiconductor, so the electrons are transferred from sulfur atoms at an anodic site, where oxygen atoms from water molecules attach to the sulfur atoms to form sulfoxy species, through the crystal to cathodic Fe(II) sites, where they are acquired by the oxidant species. The reaction at the cathodic sites is the rate-determining step for the overall process. This paper maps out the most important steps in this overall process.