Abstract <p>This study investigated the kinetics of tellurium leaching from copper anode slime in a manganese dioxide–sulfuric acid system. The results revealed that the tellurium leaching proceeded in two stages. The activation energy for the initial stage was 104.34&#xa0;kJ/mol, indicating that this stage was predominantly controlled by chemical reactions. The reaction order of MnO₂ and H₂SO₄ in this stage were determined to be 0.33 and 0.26, respectively, reflecting that the leaching rate was influenced by both reactants. In the second stage, the activation energy decreased to 32.51&#xa0;kJ/mol, suggesting a mixed control mechanism involving both chemical reaction and diffusion. The reaction order of MnO₂ declined to 0.043, indicating a diminished influence of MnO₂ concentration on the leaching rate, whereas the reaction order of H₂SO₄ increased to 1.74, underscoring the critical role of acid concentration. Under strongly acidic conditions, Mn(IV) species released from MnO₂ oxidized tellurium in both Ag₂Te and elemental Te. Under optimized parameters, the extraction of tellurium reached 96.35%. Furthermore, increasing the temperature and applying controlled stirring conditions enhanced the diffusion of Mn(IV) and significantly improved leaching efficiency.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>