The effect of glass particle size on the crystallization kinetics of an iron-rich glass from a nickel leaching waste has been investigated by means of differential thermal analysis (DTA). The results show that the crystallization of a pyroxene phase occurs by bulk nucleation from a constant number of nuclei. The crystallization mode and the dimensionality of crystals are strongly dependent of the glass particle size, being 100µm the critical size. Glass fractions with particle size >100µm show three-dimensional crystals growth controlled by diffusion whereas a particle size <100µm leads to an interface reaction mechanism with two-dimensional growth of crystals.

Peer reviewed