Sulfide precipitation method has been widely used in the removal of arsenic and heavy metals from copper smelting waste acid. Nevertheless, tiny metal sulfide particles are generated during the process, making it difficult to achieve solid-liquid separation as well as solid-solid separation. This study designed an innovative gravitational field-flow fractionation (GFFF) tank to effectively separate fine sulfide precipitate particles of different heavy metals, relying on the difference in particle sizes. To achieve better tank performance, the effects of process conditions on the size variation of precipitate particles produced in metal sulfide precipitation process (Cu(Ⅱ), Zn(Ⅱ), or As(Ⅲ)) were firstly investigated. The results show that supersaturation level, sulfide to metal molar ratio, and pH have significant effects on the precipitate particle size, while reaction time affects slightly. The optimum conditions were identified to achieve the greatest possible differences in particle sizes of the three metal sulfide precipitates. To further analyze its performance, a 3D model of the GFFF tank was built, with the fluid flow field and precipitate particle movement simulated under the optimum conditions. The simulation results demonstrate that the designed GFFF tank can realize efficient separation of fine metal sulfide precipitates for the recovery of valuable metals.

硫化物沉淀法已广泛用于铜冶炼废酸中砷和重金属的去除。然而，在该过程中会产生微小的金属硫化物颗粒，从而难以实现固液分离以及固液分离。这项研究设计了一种创新的重力场流分馏（GFFF）槽，可以有效地分离不同重金属的细小硫化物沉淀颗粒，这取决于颗粒大小的差异。为了获得更好的储罐性能，首先研究了工艺条件对金属硫化物沉淀过程中生成的沉淀颗粒（Cu（Ⅱ），Zn（Ⅱ）或As（Ⅲ））粒径变化的影响。结果表明，过饱和度，硫化物与金属的摩尔比，pH和pH对沉淀物的粒径有显着影响，而反应时间会稍有影响。确定了最佳条件，以实现三种金属硫化物沉淀的最大粒径差异。为了进一步分析其性能，建立了GFFF​​储罐的3D模型，并在最佳条件下模拟了流体流场和沉淀物颗粒运动。仿真结果表明，设计的GFFF槽可以实现细小金属硫化物沉淀的有效分离，从而回收有价值的金属。在最佳条件下模拟流体流场和沉淀物颗粒运动。仿真结果表明，设计的GFFF槽可以实现细小金属硫化物沉淀的有效分离，从而回收有价值的金属。在最佳条件下模拟流体流场和沉淀物颗粒运动。仿真结果表明，设计的GFFF槽可以实现细小金属硫化物沉淀的有效分离，以回收有价值的金属。