A Review on Various Aspects of Jarosite and Its Utilization Potentials

Jarosite is an effective scavenger for metals represented by the chemical formula AFe3(SO4)2(OH)6. This article presents a comprehensive literature review concerning the formation, decomposition, and potential applications of jarosite. Through the analyzed literature, it was found that utilizing biological jarosite seeds can significantly shorten the induction period and lower the temperature threshold during jarosite precipitation. The precipitation process is observed to be more complete with the presence of these biological seeds. Furthermore, essential crystallization parameters such as the concentration of Fe2(SO4)3, agitation speed, pH, and temperature were shown to significantly influence the morphology and particle size of jarosite. The study also details two decomposition methods for jarosite: thermal and hydrothermal processes. Jarosite seeds present a viable resource for recycling in a technically feasible and environmentally friendly manner. Additionally, jarosite demonstrates numerous advantages, including iron control in hydrometallurgy, applications in the zinc industry, removal of arsenic, and use as pigments, nanoparticles, filling materials, adsorption materials, acidic reagents, and catalytic agents.