Abstract: Zinc smelting high sulfur residues is a dangerous waste residue produced by the zinc oxygen pressure leaching process. Due to the complex mineral phase and the lack of in-depth research on process mineralogy， it is difficult to safely utilize and dispose of high sulfur residues. The domestic typical high sulfur residue was studied in detail by chemical analysis， X-ray diffraction， process mineralogy and other research methods. The results show that the main minerals in high sulfur residues are elemental sulfur， sphalerite， pyrite， as well as trace amounts of quartz， muscovite， zinc vitriol and iron vitriol， etc. The minerals such as sulfur， sphalerite and pyrite in high sulfur residues are intertwined and symbiotic with each other in various forms， and most of the minerals use elemental sulfur as the inlaid base. The particle size of elemental sulfur， sphalerite and pyrite in high sulfur residues is fine， mostly concentrated below 74μm. Therefore， increasing the particle size of elemental sulfur and the dissociation degree between sulfur and other minerals are the keys to improving the comprehensive recovery of valuable elements in high sulfur residues.

Key words: zinc smelting high sulfur residues; process mineralogy; dissemination characteristics; mineral composition; elements distribution state