Effects of Concentration of Pore Solution on Stability of Ion-Absorbed Rare Earth Ore Aggregate

The continuous change in solution concentration in ore pores during in situ mineral leaching inﬂuences the stability of ore aggregate. In this study, inﬂuences of the concentration of ammonium sulfate ((NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 ) solution on the interaction forces between ore particles were calculated. On this basis, the mechanism by which (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration inﬂuences the stability of ore aggregate was analyzed. Furthermore, an empirical formula for estimating the critical (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration for aggregation and dispersion of ore body aggregates with diﬀerent grain composition was proposed. Some major conclusions were drawn. First, for ore bodies with an initial particle size of less than 0.075 mm, the interaction force between particles was net attraction, with the distance range of this force increasing as the concentration of (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution increased from ≤ 0.001 to 0.16 mol · L − 1 , aggregation of ore particles occurring within this distance range. Secondly, for ore bodies with initial particle size of less than 0.075 mm, the interaction force between particles was net attraction, but with the distance range of this force decreasing when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration increased from 0.16 to 0.28 mol · L − 1 , dispersion of ore particles occurring beyond this distance range. Thirdly, for ore bodies with particle sizes of less than 0.038, 0.075 and 0.1 mm, the cation exchange capacity (CEC) was 9.13, 8.96, and 8.8 cmol · kg − 1 , respectively, and the critical (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration aﬀecting the aggregation and dispersion of ore bodies was 0.12, 0.16, and 0.20 mol · L − 1 , respectively.


Introduction
Currently, researchers believe that failure of soil aggregate is due to three processes: expansion, explosion, and scattering [1,2]. For a dry soil aggregate, soil particles are controlled by net attraction when the distance between soil particles is less than 1.5 nm [3,4]. In this case, soil aggregate will generally not expand and scatter. When the drying soil aggregate is immersed into water, the distance between two adjacent soil particles increases quickly to 1.5 nm as a result of hydraulic repulsive force. is process is called the expansion process of soil aggregates [5]. Since the hydraulic repulsive force is a short-range force, its sphere of effective action is only 1.5 nm and soil aggregates do not scatter beyond this distance. When the distance between two adjacent soil particles is greater than 1.5 nm, electrostatic repulsion becomes the dominant force and it leads to a continuous increase in distance between soil particles, up to 30-60 nm. Small soil particles are released continuously.
For ion-absorbed rare earth ores, in situ mineral leaching is the preferred technique in China [16]. In this technique, ammonium sulfate solution is injected into the ore body through injecting holes, where it undergoes exchange reactions with rare earth ions. Rare earth ions enter the solution and form part of the mother liquor, which is then discharged from the collection device. erefore, the injection of ammonium sulfate solution changes the concentrations of ions in solution in ore pores and ion content on ore particle surfaces, thus changing electrostatic repulsive forces between ore particles. In other words, the interaction forces between ore particles are changed and the stability of the ore aggregate is affected. It affects the cohesion of ore body and further affects the strength of ore body and the stability of slope.
In this study, influences of (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration on the thickness of the sliding layer in doubleelectrode layers on ore particle surfaces, and interaction forces of ore particles, were calculated under mixed electrolyte conditions. On this basis, the influencing mechanism of (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration in ore pores on the stability of ore aggregate was determined.

Calculation of the Interaction Forces among Ore Particles.
Interaction forces between ore particles consist of the sum of electrostatic repulsion (p R ), hydration repulsion (p h ), and Van der Waals forces (p vdw ), according to the following equation: (1)

Van der Waals Forces between Ore Particles.
ere is always mutual attraction between ore particles because there is always Van der Waals attraction between atoms or molecules at close range. Van der Waals forces between particles are dependent on the distance between particles and are expressed according to the following equation [17]: where A is the Hamaker constant, with values of A for soil or clay in vacuum and in solution being 12 × 10 −20 J and 7.8 × 10 −20 J, respectively. d is the distance between two adjacent particles.

Hydration Repulsion among Ore
Particles. e hydration repulsion force is significantly stronger than the electrostatic repulsion force or Van der Waals force, but it acts over distances of only 1.5 nm. us, the hydration repulsion is a short-range acting force [18]. Based on experimental results, Leng [19] proposed that the hydration repulsion force (in atm) between two particles is proportional to the exponent of the distance between the two particles:

Electrostatic Repulsion between Particles.
Two ore particles were selected as the research objects. ese were conceptualized as two plate-like viscous particles with uniform charge distribution on their surfaces. e surfaces of the plates were treated as planes that extend to infinity in the y and z directions; this assumption excludes fringe effects. It was assumed that the two particles equilibrate when the planes that represent the two particles are immersed in an electrolyte solution with a concentration of c 0 at a mutual distance of d. At equilibrium, the mutual repulsion of the double electric layers (p d ) and the external pressure (p 0 ) exerted by the two planes are equal ( Figure 1). e pressure on a unit volume within this space in the x direction is expressed as follows: Unit volumes within this space are also subject to an electrostatic force, defined as the product of the charge density and the electric field intensity according to the following equation: e condition for equilibrium between the two particles is expressed as follows: Equation (6) can be rearranged to give dp � −ρdψ.
e density is defined by equation (8), which can also be expressed as equation (9): where F is the Faraday constant (F � 96490 C·mol −1 ), R is the universal gas constant (R � 8.314 J·mol −1 K −1 ), T is the absolute temperature (K), c i is the ion concentration (mol·L −1 ), the subscript 0 refers to the bulk solution, z i is the ionic valence, and ψ(x) is the potential at x m from the particle surface (V). So, erefore, p R can be calculated using the following equation:

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If the pressure is measured in atmospheres (1 atm � 101.325 kPa), then equation (10) becomes e potential at the center of the gap between the two particles, ψ(d/2), is expressed as follows [20]:

Calculation of Potential on Ore Particle Surface.
According to equation (12), it is necessary to calculate the potential on the surface of the ore particles (ψ 0 ) when calculating ψ(d/2). e method for calculating ψ 0 is explained below.
When the double layer in only the x direction is considered, and adsorption equilibrium is reached, the formula used to calculate the average ion concentration (c 1 ) in diffusive double electric layers can be defined as follows [21]: where N ∞ is the total area of adsorbed ions in the diffusion double layer, V is the total area of the diffusion double layer, 1/κ is the thickness of the double layer, and c(x) is the concentration of adsorbed ions from the surface of the solid particle to the distance x. e expression for c(x) is given by Alternatively, c 1 can be calculated from where CEC is the cation exchange capacity (cmol·kg −1 ) and S is the specific surface area of particles (m 2 ·g −1 ).
Ultimately, equations (13) and (15) can be combined using a minimum error method to calculate the potential on the surface of ore particles (ψ 0 ).

Calculation of ψ(x) on Ore Particle Surface.
When calculating the surface potential ψ 0 of ore particles, it is necessary to define the surface potential ψ(x). In order to calculate these two parameters, the diffusion double layer structure on the particle surface needs to be described mathematically. At present, the Guy-Chapman model is the most accepted method to achieve this, and it describes the double layer structure by the Poisson-Boltzmann equation. e nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann equation for electrolyte solutions is expressed [22]: where ε is the dielectric constant. e variable y is defined by y � Fψ(x)/RT, where ψ(x) is the potential at x m from the particle surface (V). When ammonium sulfate solution is injected into rare earth ores, ammonium ions in the solution exchange with rare earth ions on the surface of the ore particles. e solution surrounding the ore particles becomes a mixed electrolyte system. For these solutions, equation (16)  Advances in Civil Engineering where z C , z D , z E , and z H are the valences of the ammonium ions, the sulfate ions corresponding to ammonium ions, the rare earth ions, and the sulfate ions corresponding to rare earth ions, respectively; c C , c D , c E , and c H are the concentrations of the ammonium ions, the sulfate ions corresponding to ammonium ions, the rare earth ions, and the sulfate ions corresponding to rare earth ions, respec- With these substitutions, equation (17) becomes Setting y � y0 at x � 0 and y � y(x) at x � x, and rearranging, equation (18) becomes Given that y � Fψ(x)/RT, equation (19) can be substituted to produce the following equation for ψ(x): Here, λ 1 and κ 1 are defined by equations (21) and (22), respectively.
4 Advances in Civil Engineering

ickness of the Sliding Layer in Electric Double Layer.
For rare earth ore bodies, when the concentration of (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution exceeds a certain level, ion exchange between the ammonium ions in solution and the rare earth ions on the surface of the ore particles occurs. is changes the ionic composition of the bulk solution around the ore particles and their surface potential, thus changing the thickness of the electric double layer on the surface of the particles. At present, the electric double layer thickness on the surface of particles can be approximately calculated by Debye parameter 1/κ, but this parameter only reflects the influence of the change in solution concentration and does not reflect the influence of the change in surface potential of particles caused by ion exchange. Ding proposed that the sliding layer thickness could be used to describe the electric double layer on the surface of particles [23]. erefore, this section describes the method for calculating the sliding layer thickness in the double layer on the particle surface, which considers the influence of solution concentration and particle surface potential on the double layer thickness on the particle surface. Equation (20) can be rearranged to obtain the following equation, an expression for the distance to the particle surface (x): In electrolyte systems, ψ(x) in equation (20) can be equated with the value of the zeta potential (ζ), so that x can be expressed in terms of the thickness of the sliding layer (x s ), as shown in the following equation:

Sample Preparation.
Ionic clay rare earth ore was used as the test material in this study. e ionic clay was ground and screened using a 0.075 mm sieve. In order to analyze the effect of interaction between ore particles on the measured shear strength of the ore material, the total specific surface area and cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the samples were measured to enable the potential on the ore particle surfaces and the interaction forces between ore particles to be calculated. e total specific surface area was measured using a fully automated specific surface and pore diameter analyzer (Bates 3H-2000PS) utilizing a N 2 -B.E.T method. e CEC was measured using an ammonium acetate exchange method.

Mineral Leaching Experiment
Method. Raw ores, which were screened using a 0.075 mm sieve, were collected and (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution (0, 0.04, 0.08, 0.12, 0.16, 0.20, 0.24, and 0.28 mol·L −1 ) was added. After thorough mixing, a controlled moisture content of 21.8% was reached throughout the sample. A cutting ring was used to form samples with a compaction density of 1.71 g·cm −3 , diameter 6.18 cm, and height 2 cm. e ore samples were saturated in the cutting ring using the extraction saturation method. e saturation solution used the corresponding concentration of (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution and then the cutting ring was put in a 2 L beaker for mineral leaching at a solid to liquid ratio of 1 : 5. To enable enough time for adequate water-soil chemical reaction of the reshaped ore samples, and to prevent acid erosion of the ore cement by (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution, the reaction time was set to 1 day.

Ore Gradation Experiment Method.
For raw ore with initial particle sizes of less than 0.075 mm, wet samples were tested in a laser particle analyzer (BT2002, China) after leaching in (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution. Each sample analysis was repeated at least five times.

Zeta Potential Test Method on Ore Particle Surfaces.
A set of 0.5 g·L −1 mineral particle suspensions were prepared using four different concentrations of ammonium sulfate solution (0, 0.04, 0.08, 0.12, 0.16, 0.20, 0.24, and 0.28 mol·L −1 ) and tested in a microelectrophoresis apparatus (JS94H2, China) without pH adjustment. e temperature was maintained at room temperature (25°C) during the test and each sample was tested at least five times. e error range on the measurements was ±2 mv.

Variation Law of Interaction Force between Ore Particles.
Changes in solution concentration result in changes to the particle surface potential, the zeta potential, and the types of ions contained in the electric double layer. e thickness of double-electrode layers on ore particle surfaces and interaction forces between ore particles also change accordingly. To calculate the thickness of the sliding layer in the doubleelectrode layers on a particle surface and the interaction force between particles, ammonium ion concentration, rare earth ion (RE) concentration, zeta potential on an ore particle surface, CEC of ore sample, and specific surface area in solution with different concentrations of (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution after mineral leaching were determined. Main indexes of ore samples with initial particle size of less than 0.075 mm are shown in Table 1.
According to a previously reported theoretical calculation model, the concentration of bulk solution cannot be zero when calculating the interaction force between ore particles. erefore, it is hypothesized that when the concentration of bulk solution is lower than a certain value, the zeta potential on ore particle surfaces does not change, and the electric double layer on the surface of ore body particles is not affected. In this study, (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution was used as the pore solution. e concentration of bulk solution was calculated to be approximately 2 × 10 −4 mol·L −1 from equations (20)- (22) according to the zeta potentials when the concentration of (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution was 0 mol·L −1 .
Next, parameters were introduced into the ore particle surface potential calculations. e variation in particle surface potential when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration increased from 0 to 0.28 mol·L −1 was obtained. As can be seen from Figure 2, particle surface potential decreased from -372 to -126 mv when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration increased from 0 to 0.28 mol·L −1 . is was mainly due to the negatively charged particles with one doubleelectrode layer absorbed on the particle surfaces, resulting in a relatively low initial concentration of ions in the doubleelectrode layer. With increasing (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 concentration in the ore pores, the concentration difference drove the movement of ammonium ions in the pore solution towards the double-electrode layer adsorbed onto the soil particle surfaces and then gradually through the double-electrode layer. In addition to ion exchange between some ammonium ions and rare earth ions, some ammonium ions were finally adsorbed on the ore particle surfaces and neutralized negative charges on the ore particles. is decreased the charge of ore particles and the soil particle surface potentials. is research conclusion was consistent with Liu's [24].

Calculation of ickness of Sliding Layer on Ore Particle
Surface. Given the zeta potential on the particle surfaces and the calculated surface potential, the thickness of the sliding layer in the double-electrode layer on the particle surfaces could be calculated using equation (24). e results are shown in Figure 3. e thickness of the sliding layer decreased from 43.50 to 3.00 nm, when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration increased from 0 to 0.16 mol·L −1 , and from 3.00 to 3.47 nm, when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration increased from 0.16 to 0.28 mol·L −1 .

Calculation of Electrostatic Repulsive Force between Ore
Particles. With the particle surface potentials now known, variation in the electrostatic repulsion force between particles at different (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentrations could be calculated using equation (10). Results are shown in Figure 4.
It could be seen from Figure 4 that the electrostatic repulsive force between two fixed ore particles was negatively correlated to the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration between 0.04 and 0.16 mol·L −1 but was positively correlated from 0.16 to 0.28 mol·L −1 . For the electrostatic repulsive force between two fixed ore particles, the main influencing factors included solution concentration and thickness of double electric layer on particle surface [25].
us, the variation of electrostatic repulsive force in Figure 4 could be analyzed as follows.
First, when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration was lower than 0.16 mol·L −1 , there was a negative correlation with the electrostatic repulsive force between ore particles. e existence of an electrostatic repulsive force between particles means there must be an overlap of the double electric layer on the two particle surfaces. Given that there is a certain number of ions in the double-electrode layer, this number of ions increases with expansion of the overlapping area and the electrostatic repulsive force between particles also increases (shadowed areas in Figure 5(a)). According to calculations, the thickness of the sliding layer on the ore particle surface decreased from 43.50 to 3.00 nm when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration increased from 0 to 0.16 mol·L −1 ; in other words, although the number of ions in the double electric layer on the particle surfaces increased with increasing (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration, the thickness of the double-electrode layer decreased and the overlapping region of the double electric layer between two particles became narrower ( Figure 5(b)). e net result was a decrease in electrostatic repulsive force between ore particles.
Secondly, when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration was greater than 0.16 mol·L −1 , the electrostatic repulsive force between particles was positively correlated with concentration. As the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration increased from 0.16 to 0.28 mol·L −1 , the thickness of the sliding layer increased from 3.00 to 3.47 nm. In other words, the thickness of the double electric layer on the particle surfaces increased with increasing (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration and the overlapping area expanded. Furthermore, the number of ions in the double electric layer on the particle surfaces increased accordingly. erefore as shown in Figures 5(b) and 5(c), the net result was an increase in the electrostatic repulsive force between ore particles.

Calculation of Net Force between Ore Particles.
When the surface potential is known, the variation in net force between ore particles at different (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution 6 Advances in Civil Engineering concentrations can be calculated using equation (1). Results are shown in Figure 6. Figure 6 shows that when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration was ≤0.001 mol·L −1 , the distance between particles ranged from 1.55 to 1.75 nm; when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration was 0.04 mol·L −1 , the distance between particles ranged from 1.55 to 2.70 nm; when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration was 0.08 mol·L −1 , the distance between particles ranged from 1.55 to 2.80 nm; when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration was 0.12 mol·L −1 , the distance between particles ranged from 1.55 to 2.90 nm; when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration was 0.16 mol·L −1 , the distance between particles ranged from 1.55 to 3.05 nm; when (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration was 0.20 mol·L −1 , the distance between particles ranged from 1.55 to 3.00 nm; when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration was 0.24 mol·L −1 , the distance between particles ranged from 1.55 to 3.00 nm; and when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration was 0.28 mol·L −1 , the distance between particles ranged from 1.55 to 2.90 nm.
Additionally, Figure 6 shows that when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration ranged from 0.04 to 0.28 mol·L −1 , the net force between ore particles transformed from net repulsion to net attraction when the distance between two particles increased; this net attraction reached a maximum at approximately 1.55 nm. When the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration ranged from 0.04 to 0.16 mol·L −1 , the maximum net attraction was positively correlated with the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration. In contrast, the maximum net attraction was negatively correlated with the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration from 0.16 to 0.28 mol·L −1 (Figure 7).  Figure 8(a), the content of fine particles (<50 μm) decreased while the content of larger particles (>50 μm) increased when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration increased gradually from 0 to 0.16 mol·L −1 , indicating the clustering of ore particles. Figure 8(b) reveals the opposite phenomenon when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration increased from 0.16 to 0.28 mol·L −1 , indicating the scattering of ore particles. erefore, for ore bodies with a particle size of less than 0.075 mm, the critical (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration affecting aggregation and dispersion of ore particles was 0.16 mol·L −1 .

Effects of (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 Solution Concentration on the
Changes in the interaction forces between ore particles determine the clustering or scattering behavior of particles. erefore, the influences of (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration  Advances in Civil Engineering 7 on clustering of ore particles were explained on the basis of the interaction forces between ore particles described in Section 3.1, with further details provided below. First, when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration was lower than the critical concentration, ore particles clustered gradually with increasing (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration. According to the calculated interaction force, the interaction force between particles became net attraction when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration was ≤0.001 mol·L −1 and the distance between ore particles was within 1.55-1.75 nm, resulting in ore particles in this distance range clustering together, while ore particles beyond this distance range did not. Similarly, the interaction force between particles was net attraction when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration was 0.04, 0.08, 0.12, and 0.16 mol·L −1 and the distance between ore particles was 1.55-2.70, 1.55-2.80, 1.55-2.90, and 1.55-3.05 nm, respectively. is indicated that ore particles clustered into aggregates in these three distance ranges. erefore, the distance range of net attraction increased when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration increased from ≤0.001 to 0.16 mol·L −1 and the ore particles within this distance gradually agglomerated into new aggregates, as shown in Figure 8(a) [26,27].
Secondly, when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration was higher than the critical concentration, ore particles scattered with increasing (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration. According to calculations, the interaction force between particles was net attraction at four (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentrations (0.16, 0.20, 0.24, and 0.28 mol·L −1 ) and four corresponding distance ranges (1.55-3.5, 1.55-3.00, 1.55-3.00, and 1.55-2.90 nm). In other words, ore particles clustered into aggregates in these distance ranges. erefore, the distance range of net attraction decreased when (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration increased from 0.16 to 0.28 mol·L −1 and ore particles beyond this distance were gradually dispersed, as shown in Figure 8(b) [26,27].

Effects of CEC on Critical (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 Solution
Concentration. Based on the above analysis, for ore bodies with particle sizes of less than 0.075 mm, the critical (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration affecting aggregation and dispersion of ore particles was determined and the relevant mechanism elucidated. Ore grading after mineral leaching for different particle sizes (0.038 and 0.1 mm) and different (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentrations was performed according to the experimental method described in Section 2.1. e results are shown in Figures 9 and 10.

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Figures 9 and 10 reveal that the critical (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration was 0.20 mol·L −1 for particles smaller than 0.038 mm and 0.12 mol·L −1 for particles smaller than 0.1 mm. According to calculations of the interaction force between ore particles, solution concentration was the main influencing factor. erefore, changes in the critical (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration arising from different grading levels was related to changes in CEC, thus influencing changes to the concentration of solution surrounding ore particles [28,29]. erefore, the relationship between CEC and critical concentration of (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution was further analyzed (Figure 11).
It can be seen from Figure 11 that there was an exponential relationship between critical (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration and CEC of ore particles: c cri � a + b exp(CEC/c), where c cri is the critical concentration of (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution, CEC is the cation exchange capacity on the ore particle surface, and a, b, and c are fitting parameters (a � 0.058, b � 5.18 × 10 −11 , and c � 0.42). e critical (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration can be estimated when the CEC is fixed; on this basis, critical concentrations of (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution at different particle compositions could be determined.

Conclusions
For ion-absorbed rare earth ores, the concentration of the injected (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution in in situ mineral leaching is generally no higher than 0.23 mol·L −1 . And due to the ion exchange effect, interaction forces between ore particles are changed. is changes the stability of the ore body aggregates, and the particles are aggregated or diffused, which directly affects the cohesive force of the ore body and thus affects the shear strength and stability of the ore body slope. At the same time, the agglomeration or diffusion of ore body particles will directly affect the effective diameter of the pores in the ore body, thus affecting the permeability and directly affecting the mining efficiency. erefore, the effect of (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration on the interaction force between ore particles was calculated and the mechanism underpinning the effect of (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration on ore aggregate stability was determined. Ultimately, an empirical formula for estimating the critical (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration for aggregation and dispersion of ore body aggregates at different grain compositions was proposed. Some major conclusions could be drawn, which can provide reference for the concentration selection of ammonium sulfate solution in the leaching and mining process of ammonium sulfate solution in different gradation ionic rare earth mines.
(1) For ore bodies with initial particle size smaller than 0.075 mm, when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration was ≤0.001 mol·L −1 , the interaction force between ore particles was net repulsion resulting in ore particle dispersion. e interaction force between particles was net attraction at four (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentrations of 0.04, 0.08, 0.12, and 0.16 mol·L −1 and the four corresponding distance ranges of 1.55-2.70, 1.55-2.80 nm, 1.55-2.90 nm, and 1.55-3.05 nm, resulting in ore particle clustering into aggregates within these distance ranges. erefore, the net attraction distance range increased when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration increased from ≤0.001 to 0.16 mol·L −1 , resulting in the aggregation of ore particles within this range.
(2) For ore bodies with initial particle size of less than 0.075 mm, the interaction force of particles was net attraction at four (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentrations of 0.16, 0.20, 0.24, and 0.28 mol·L −1 and the four corresponding distance ranges of 1.55-3.05, 1.55-3.00, 1.55-3.00, and 1.55-2.90 nm, with ore particles clustering into aggregates in these distance ranges. erefore, the net attraction distance range decreased with increasing (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration from 0.16 to 0.28 mol·L −1 , with the dispersion of ore particles beyond the range of net attraction. (3) For ore bodies with particle sizes of less than 0.038, 0.075, and 0.1 mm, the CEC was 9.13, 8.96, and 8.8 cmol·kg −1 , respectively. e critical (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration that discriminated between clustering and scatting of ore particles was 0.12, 0.16, and 0.20 mol·L −1 , respectively. erefore, there was an exponential correlation between the critical (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solution concentration and CEC.

Notations p:
Interaction forces between ore particles p R : Electrostatic repulsion P h : Hydration repulsion p vdw : Van der Waals forces A: Hamaker constant d: e distance between two adjacent particles c 0 : Concentration of electrolyte solution P d : e mutual repulsion of the double electric layers  Zeta potential x s : e thickness of the sliding layer.

Data Availability
e data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

Conflicts of Interest
e authors declare no conflicts of interest.