CA1037898A - Flotation of ore slurry with prior direct current treatment - Google Patents
Flotation of ore slurry with prior direct current treatmentInfo
- Publication number
- CA1037898A CA1037898A CA189,999A CA189999A CA1037898A CA 1037898 A CA1037898 A CA 1037898A CA 189999 A CA189999 A CA 189999A CA 1037898 A CA1037898 A CA 1037898A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- ore
- flotation
- sulfide
- electrodes
- concentrate
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
- 238000005188 flotation Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 79
- 239000002002 slurry Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 18
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 59
- 230000003750 conditioning effect Effects 0.000 claims description 38
- 239000003795 chemical substances by application Substances 0.000 claims description 31
- 239000011701 zinc Substances 0.000 claims description 31
- VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicium dioxide Chemical compound O=[Si]=O VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 27
- XLOMVQKBTHCTTD-UHFFFAOYSA-N Zinc monoxide Chemical compound [Zn]=O XLOMVQKBTHCTTD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 26
- 239000012141 concentrate Substances 0.000 claims description 13
- 229910052725 zinc Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 13
- 239000011787 zinc oxide Substances 0.000 claims description 13
- 239000000377 silicon dioxide Substances 0.000 claims description 12
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 11
- XEEYBQQBJWHFJM-UHFFFAOYSA-N iron Substances [Fe] XEEYBQQBJWHFJM-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 11
- 239000004411 aluminium Substances 0.000 claims description 10
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 10
- 239000011133 lead Substances 0.000 claims description 10
- OMZSGWSJDCOLKM-UHFFFAOYSA-N copper(II) sulfide Chemical compound [S-2].[Cu+2] OMZSGWSJDCOLKM-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 9
- 239000005083 Zinc sulfide Substances 0.000 claims description 8
- AMWRITDGCCNYAT-UHFFFAOYSA-L hydroxy(oxo)manganese;manganese Chemical compound [Mn].O[Mn]=O.O[Mn]=O AMWRITDGCCNYAT-UHFFFAOYSA-L 0.000 claims description 8
- 229910052984 zinc sulfide Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 8
- 229910052981 lead sulfide Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 7
- 229940056932 lead sulfide Drugs 0.000 claims description 7
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 claims description 7
- DRDVZXDWVBGGMH-UHFFFAOYSA-N zinc;sulfide Chemical compound [S-2].[Zn+2] DRDVZXDWVBGGMH-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 7
- HCHKCACWOHOZIP-UHFFFAOYSA-N Zinc Chemical compound [Zn] HCHKCACWOHOZIP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 6
- 239000010949 copper Substances 0.000 claims description 6
- 239000007772 electrode material Substances 0.000 claims description 6
- PXHVJJICTQNCMI-UHFFFAOYSA-N nickel Substances [Ni] PXHVJJICTQNCMI-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 6
- UCKMPCXJQFINFW-UHFFFAOYSA-N Sulphide Chemical compound [S-2] UCKMPCXJQFINFW-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 5
- 235000002639 sodium chloride Nutrition 0.000 claims description 5
- OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N Carbon Chemical compound [C] OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 4
- MBMLMWLHJBBADN-UHFFFAOYSA-N Ferrous sulfide Chemical compound [Fe]=S MBMLMWLHJBBADN-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 4
- 229910052799 carbon Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 4
- 229910052802 copper Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 4
- 229910052742 iron Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 4
- CWQXQMHSOZUFJS-UHFFFAOYSA-N molybdenum disulfide Chemical compound S=[Mo]=S CWQXQMHSOZUFJS-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000005995 Aluminium silicate Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 235000012211 aluminium silicate Nutrition 0.000 claims description 3
- NLYAJNPCOHFWQQ-UHFFFAOYSA-N kaolin Chemical compound O.O.O=[Al]O[Si](=O)O[Si](=O)O[Al]=O NLYAJNPCOHFWQQ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 3
- 229910052759 nickel Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000000956 alloy Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 229910045601 alloy Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 2
- 229910000019 calcium carbonate Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 2
- 235000011116 calcium hydroxide Nutrition 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000000292 calcium oxide Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 150000003839 salts Chemical class 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 claims 10
- 235000014692 zinc oxide Nutrition 0.000 claims 10
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 claims 9
- VTYYLEPIZMXCLO-UHFFFAOYSA-L Calcium carbonate Chemical compound [Ca+2].[O-]C([O-])=O VTYYLEPIZMXCLO-UHFFFAOYSA-L 0.000 claims 2
- VHUUQVKOLVNVRT-UHFFFAOYSA-N Ammonium hydroxide Chemical class [NH4+].[OH-] VHUUQVKOLVNVRT-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims 1
- OYPRJOBELJOOCE-UHFFFAOYSA-N Calcium Chemical compound [Ca] OYPRJOBELJOOCE-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims 1
- DGAQECJNVWCQMB-PUAWFVPOSA-M Ilexoside XXIX Chemical compound C[C@@H]1CC[C@@]2(CC[C@@]3(C(=CC[C@H]4[C@]3(CC[C@@H]5[C@@]4(CC[C@@H](C5(C)C)OS(=O)(=O)[O-])C)C)[C@@H]2[C@]1(C)O)C)C(=O)O[C@H]6[C@@H]([C@H]([C@@H]([C@H](O6)CO)O)O)O.[Na+] DGAQECJNVWCQMB-PUAWFVPOSA-M 0.000 claims 1
- ZLMJMSJWJFRBEC-UHFFFAOYSA-N Potassium Chemical compound [K] ZLMJMSJWJFRBEC-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims 1
- 235000011054 acetic acid Nutrition 0.000 claims 1
- 150000001243 acetic acids Chemical class 0.000 claims 1
- 235000011114 ammonium hydroxide Nutrition 0.000 claims 1
- 239000011575 calcium Substances 0.000 claims 1
- 229910052791 calcium Inorganic materials 0.000 claims 1
- BRPQOXSCLDDYGP-UHFFFAOYSA-N calcium oxide Chemical compound [O-2].[Ca+2] BRPQOXSCLDDYGP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims 1
- ODINCKMPIJJUCX-UHFFFAOYSA-N calcium oxide Inorganic materials [Ca]=O ODINCKMPIJJUCX-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims 1
- 229910052745 lead Inorganic materials 0.000 claims 1
- 235000006408 oxalic acid Nutrition 0.000 claims 1
- 150000002913 oxalic acids Chemical class 0.000 claims 1
- 239000011591 potassium Substances 0.000 claims 1
- 229910052700 potassium Inorganic materials 0.000 claims 1
- 235000011118 potassium hydroxide Nutrition 0.000 claims 1
- 239000011734 sodium Substances 0.000 claims 1
- 229910052708 sodium Inorganic materials 0.000 claims 1
- 235000011121 sodium hydroxide Nutrition 0.000 claims 1
- 238000003556 assay Methods 0.000 description 19
- 238000011084 recovery Methods 0.000 description 10
- 229910052500 inorganic mineral Inorganic materials 0.000 description 9
- 239000011707 mineral Substances 0.000 description 9
- 235000010755 mineral Nutrition 0.000 description 9
- 239000003921 oil Substances 0.000 description 9
- 238000007796 conventional method Methods 0.000 description 8
- 230000000881 depressing effect Effects 0.000 description 8
- 238000002474 experimental method Methods 0.000 description 7
- 238000012545 processing Methods 0.000 description 7
- 235000012239 silicon dioxide Nutrition 0.000 description 7
- FAPWRFPIFSIZLT-UHFFFAOYSA-M Sodium chloride Chemical compound [Na+].[Cl-] FAPWRFPIFSIZLT-UHFFFAOYSA-M 0.000 description 6
- 239000011572 manganese Substances 0.000 description 5
- 229910052979 sodium sulfide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 5
- GRVFOGOEDUUMBP-UHFFFAOYSA-N sodium sulfide (anhydrous) Chemical compound [Na+].[Na+].[S-2] GRVFOGOEDUUMBP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 5
- 229910052681 coesite Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- 235000008504 concentrate Nutrition 0.000 description 4
- 229910052906 cristobalite Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 4
- ZOOODBUHSVUZEM-UHFFFAOYSA-N ethoxymethanedithioic acid Chemical compound CCOC(S)=S ZOOODBUHSVUZEM-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 229910052750 molybdenum Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- 229910052682 stishovite Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- 229910052905 tridymite Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- 239000012991 xanthate Substances 0.000 description 4
- WVYWICLMDOOCFB-UHFFFAOYSA-N 4-methyl-2-pentanol Chemical compound CC(C)CC(C)O WVYWICLMDOOCFB-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 229910021532 Calcite Inorganic materials 0.000 description 3
- ZOKXTWBITQBERF-UHFFFAOYSA-N Molybdenum Chemical group [Mo] ZOKXTWBITQBERF-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- HEMHJVSKTPXQMS-UHFFFAOYSA-M Sodium hydroxide Chemical compound [OH-].[Na+] HEMHJVSKTPXQMS-UHFFFAOYSA-M 0.000 description 3
- 239000002131 composite material Substances 0.000 description 3
- ARUVKPQLZAKDPS-UHFFFAOYSA-L copper(II) sulfate Chemical compound [Cu+2].[O-][S+2]([O-])([O-])[O-] ARUVKPQLZAKDPS-UHFFFAOYSA-L 0.000 description 3
- 239000011733 molybdenum Substances 0.000 description 3
- 239000010665 pine oil Substances 0.000 description 3
- 239000010453 quartz Substances 0.000 description 3
- 239000011780 sodium chloride Substances 0.000 description 3
- QTBSBXVTEAMEQO-UHFFFAOYSA-N Acetic acid Chemical compound CC(O)=O QTBSBXVTEAMEQO-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 235000008733 Citrus aurantifolia Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N Copper Chemical compound [Cu] RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- VMHLLURERBWHNL-UHFFFAOYSA-M Sodium acetate Chemical compound [Na+].CC([O-])=O VMHLLURERBWHNL-UHFFFAOYSA-M 0.000 description 2
- 235000011941 Tilia x europaea Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 230000003213 activating effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000004913 activation Effects 0.000 description 2
- 150000001412 amines Chemical class 0.000 description 2
- 125000002091 cationic group Chemical group 0.000 description 2
- 229910000365 copper sulfate Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 229910000366 copper(II) sulfate Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000003350 kerosene Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000004571 lime Substances 0.000 description 2
- KWGKDLIKAYFUFQ-UHFFFAOYSA-M lithium chloride Chemical compound [Li+].[Cl-] KWGKDLIKAYFUFQ-UHFFFAOYSA-M 0.000 description 2
- 229910052748 manganese Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- JCBJVAJGLKENNC-UHFFFAOYSA-M potassium ethyl xanthate Chemical compound [K+].CCOC([S-])=S JCBJVAJGLKENNC-UHFFFAOYSA-M 0.000 description 2
- 238000002203 pretreatment Methods 0.000 description 2
- 235000017281 sodium acetate Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 238000003756 stirring Methods 0.000 description 2
- XFXPMWWXUTWYJX-UHFFFAOYSA-N Cyanide Chemical compound N#[C-] XFXPMWWXUTWYJX-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- PWHULOQIROXLJO-UHFFFAOYSA-N Manganese Chemical compound [Mn] PWHULOQIROXLJO-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910017974 NH40H Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- VKCLPVFDVVKEKU-UHFFFAOYSA-N S=[P] Chemical compound S=[P] VKCLPVFDVVKEKU-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000002253 acid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 150000007513 acids Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 229910052924 anglesite Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- CUGMJFZCCDSABL-UHFFFAOYSA-N arsenic(3+);trisulfide Chemical compound [S-2].[S-2].[S-2].[As+3].[As+3] CUGMJFZCCDSABL-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- -1 as for instance Substances 0.000 description 1
- AXCZMVOFGPJBDE-UHFFFAOYSA-L calcium dihydroxide Chemical compound [OH-].[OH-].[Ca+2] AXCZMVOFGPJBDE-UHFFFAOYSA-L 0.000 description 1
- 239000000920 calcium hydroxide Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910001861 calcium hydroxide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 150000004649 carbonic acid derivatives Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 238000004140 cleaning Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012733 comparative method Methods 0.000 description 1
- SOCTUWSJJQCPFX-UHFFFAOYSA-N dichromate(2-) Chemical compound [O-][Cr](=O)(=O)O[Cr]([O-])(=O)=O SOCTUWSJJQCPFX-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000002270 dispersing agent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000835 fiber Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000008396 flotation agent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000295 fuel oil Substances 0.000 description 1
- 150000004679 hydroxides Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 150000002500 ions Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- JQJCSZOEVBFDKO-UHFFFAOYSA-N lead zinc Chemical class [Zn].[Pb] JQJCSZOEVBFDKO-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000000704 physical effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000029219 regulation of pH Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000011160 research Methods 0.000 description 1
- 150000004760 silicates Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 229910000029 sodium carbonate Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- RFKHZOHSRQNNPW-UHFFFAOYSA-M sodium;pentoxymethanedithioate Chemical compound [Na+].CCCCCOC([S-])=S RFKHZOHSRQNNPW-UHFFFAOYSA-M 0.000 description 1
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 231100000167 toxic agent Toxicity 0.000 description 1
- 239000003440 toxic substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910021511 zinc hydroxide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
Landscapes
- Manufacture And Refinement Of Metals (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
An improved ore flotation method is disclosed which is char-acterized by conduction d-c current through the slurry of ore as a treatment prior to the flotation.
An improved ore flotation method is disclosed which is char-acterized by conduction d-c current through the slurry of ore as a treatment prior to the flotation.
Description
~ 103789~
The present invention relates to an ore flotation method char-acterized by pre-treatment of the slurry of ore.
- In general, the separation effect of ore flotation i8 brought about by selective chemical and physical action under certain conditions betweenthe various mineral processing agents and the surface of the various ores, and flotation techniques have been established to a certain degree with respect to the so-called sulfide ores.
However, when the surface characteristics of the ores are very similar, as with oxide ores and non-metallic ores the preferred selection is extremely difficult even when conventional flotation techniqués~ for example the regulation of pH and/or temperature, and the choice of mineral processing agent, are employed.
For example, the method in which silica-bearing zinc oxide ore is sulfided with Na2S while heating, and then a cationic collector used, and x other methods are known. These methods have operat~onal disadvantages such as the necessity of desliming before flotation, heating of slurry, and addition of a large quantity of mineral processing agent; they also have the tlsadvantage that the flotation efficiency is generally poor.
The present inventors have researched for man~ years to develop a flotation method which is free of the disadvantages of the conventional processes.
As a result of the numerous researches on ore flotstion, and noting that the ores have a surface electric charge in the slurry state which varles according to the kinds of ions present, the pH of the slurry, and the like, and that the effect of the mineral processing agents for ores changes ln response to fluctuations in surface electric charge, it has been found that desired effects not obtained in the conventional techniques can be ob-tained by conducting d-c current through the slurry, thereby varying the surface electric charge of the ores. The present invention thus relates to an ore flotation method in which d-c current is conducted through the slurry as a pre-treatment to the flotation.
In the present invention, the surface electric charge of the ores can be varied by :hanging the combination of electrote material, voltage, '~
. . . ' ..
103789~
current and electric conditioning agents for conduction of the current;
therefore control of the flotation characteristics i8 easily obtained.
In accordance with the present invention, as the electrical requirements for the ore slurry, for instance, the properties of the electrodes and the electric conditioning time that is, time of conduction of current, are changed, the flotation characteristics of the ores can be varied. The variation of the flotation characteristics by variation in these electrical requirements will be described by reference to the drawings.
In the drawings;
Figure l is a graph showing the variation in recovery of quartz with differences in electrode material; ~ -Figure 2 is a graph showing the variation in recovery of quartz with increase in the electric conditioning time i.e. time of conduction of current through the slurry, and ~ Figure 3 is a graph showing the relationship between the electrode materials and recovery of calcite;
F~gures 4 to 8 respectively show the variation in depressing rates of sulfide ores with different electrode materials used and Figure 9 shows the variation in depressing effect with variation in electric conditioning time or time of conduction of the d-c current prior to the flotation of molybdenum-bearing copper sulfide ore.
In the experiments on which Figures l to 3 are based, high purity quartz and calcite were used respectively as samples, and a cationic Armac* C
(available from Armour Industrial Chemical Co.) was used as collector, and Nikko No. 10 oil (manufactured by Nippon Perfumery Co., Ltd.) was used as frothing agent. In these experiments, a small laboratory flotation cell was used and the electrode was inserted into the cell after electrically insulating the cell and a stirrer, electric current was conducted through the slurry in the cell, and thereafter the flotation was carried out.
The conditions for flotation and conduction of current were the same, except for changes ln electrode material in the experiments for Figures l and 3 while in the experiment for Figure 2 the time of conduction or con-ditioning time was varied. "Non" in Figure 1 and F~p,ure 3 shows the flotation * Trade mark :. , . ~. ~ . .
: . ~ - . :. : -103789~
ln the case where the electric conditioning of the slurry was not carrlet out.
In the experiments for Figures 4 to 8, pure copper sulfide ore, lead sulfide ore, zinc sulfide ore, iron sulfide ore and molybdenum sulfide ore were used respectively as samples. However the zinc sulfide ore was used after activation with copper sulfate. As the mineral processing agents in this series of experiments, fuel oil and MIBC (methyl isobutyl carbinol) were used for the molybdenum sulfide ore, and potassium ethyl xanthate (KEX) and pine oil were used for the other sulfide ores. The appratus used was a normal experimental flotator in which the cell and the stirrer were electrically insulated. The electrode was inserted into the cell, and d-c current was conducted through the slurry to carry out the condieioning; thereafter the flotation was carried out with the use of the aforementioned mineral process-ing agents. In the experiments, the voltage and current, the electric con-ditioning time or time of passage of current, and the addition, amount and kind of electric conditioning agent for each sample were constant. "Non" in the drawings indicates flotation without prior conditioning with electric current -and the ~rdinate ~GL~ ch4w~ the ~epr~si~g rate of the electric conditioning which is a depressing rate for each electrode relative to "non" as zero.
From each drawing, it is observed that the electrode material and electric conditioning time in the treatment according to the present invention have a considerable effect on the flotation characteristics. Consequently, as ~hown in examples to be described hereinafter, the flotation of metal-bearing ores containing silicates and/or alkaline carbonates, can be carried out with high efficiency by suitable combination of the various electrical requirements and sub~ection of the ores to the conditioning treatment according to the present invention so that in the flotation of those ores either depression or promotion is maximized.
In the present invention, when stirring is used during passage of the d-c current, the electrode is inserted into a conditioner with an electrically insulated stirrer (which may be of circular or angular type). In the feed and discharge of the slurry of ore in this case, both combinations of feed to the upper and bottom surfaces of the conditioner and discharge from the upper surface and bottom surface of the conditi-ner may be employed.
.
. .
~ .
.,~ ..
" 103789~
On the other hand, when stirring i9 not used it i9 preferred that the electrode be inserted into the electrically insulAted condit~oner, and the slurry uniformly charged to the upper surface of the condltloner and dis-charged from the bottom. The size of the conditioner is determined according to the time required for the treatment. -There are preferred values for voltage and current for the con-ditioning according to the particular minerals, but it is preferable to adopt as the most economic values those in the ranges 0.002~- 20 A/dm current density and 0.5 ~ 750 Vof voltage by taking into consideration, for instance, the amoùnt of electric conditioning agent to be added, the distance between ~ -the electrodes, the area of the electrodes and the electric conditioning time. 5~ ;
The shape of the electrodes to be used in the present invention may be of any form such as plate, stick, cylinder, lattice, and fiber. As to the properties of the electrodes, soluble electrodes made for example of aluminium, nickel, copper, lead, zinc, iron, or their alloys, or insoluble electrodes made for example of carbon or combinations thereof may be employed.
In the present invention, electric conditioning agents are desirably used, and these may be one or more hydroxides as for example ~OH, NaOH, Ca(OH)2, Zn(OH)2, NH40H, acids as for example, H2S04, NH03, HCl, CH3COOH.
H2C204, and their salts, according to the particular minerals m the ore.
The joint use of an electric conditioning agent with conventional -flotation agents, as for instance, dispersing agent, ad~ustor, activating agent depressing agent is also effective.
With the use of the d-c current method for conditioning of the ,. .
slurry according to the present invention, ores that have previously been discarded because of the tifficulty of separation by flotation can effectively be recovered. Furthermore, Ithe method of the present invention is extremely effective in the utilization of underground resources because the efficiency of ore flotation is improved by comparison with the conventional methods.
The method of the present invention was applied to the flotation of zinc oxide ore (Zn 22.8 %, SiO2 56X) which is difficult by the conventional amine flotation method. The results shown in the following table were obtained.
.
: "' ,' ' ' , ' ~ , . . ' ' ~ . , ` - 103789~
,, Method of the Conventional present invention method Electrode made of aluminium DC 27 V, 1.0 A
Electrical requirements Electric condi-tioning agent:
CH3COONa Electric condi- .
tioning time:
5 minutes Na2S _ 10 kg/t Armac C 230 g/t 200 g/t Flotation Nikko#10 oil 250 g/t 250 g/t conditions Flotation15 min. 15 min.
. time pH 8.3 11.2 Zn Assay % Zn Recov- Zn Assay % Zn Re-ery % covery ~ ~ . .
Flotation Feed 22.8 100.0 22.8 100.0 results Froth 43.1 90.1 23.8 92.9 Tailing4.3 9.9 14.77.1 -5- .
, . . . . .. . . . . . .. .
The amine flotation method i9 known as the method of flotatlon for the composite ore used in Example 1, but, even when a large amount of Na2S (10 kg/t) is used, the separation is not substantially achieved. However when the electric conditioning treatment of the present invention i8 carried out, the separation performances are remarkably improved.
; EXANPLE 2 - The method of the present invention and the conventional method were applied to the flotation of zinc oxide ore containing a large amount of calcite (Zn 22.2 %, CaO 28%). The results shown in the following table were obtained.
- :
' ' 103789g3 Method of the Conventional method present invention Electrode made of lead DC 35 V 1.5 A
Electrical requirements Electric condi- _ tioning agent:
KCl Electric condi-tioning time:
7 min.
Na2S _ 10 kg/t Armac C 225 g/t 150 g/t Flotation Nikko#10 oil 190 g/t 190 g/t conditions Flotation 15 min. 15 min.
time pH 8.9 11.3 Zn Assay % Zn Re- Zn Assay % Zn Re-covery % covery %
.~
Flotation Feed 22.2loo 22.2 100 results Froth 41.8 79.730.3 95.8 Tailings 7.8 20.33.1 4.2 :
;: '.
'''~ ': `:
103789~
The separation of the composite ore uset in Example 2 by flotation has heretofore been ~ost difficult. The "conventional method" of the TABLE was carried out as a comparison with the method of the present lnvention. -The flotation of zinc oxide ore containing a large amount of kaolin (Zn 21.9 %, kaolin 50 %), was carried out using the method of the present - ~ -invention, and also by the conventional method, the results being shown in the following table.
''' ~ '`
~. . ' . _ . . .
- 8 `:
.
.
, ~.' ' , :
,.
.
' ~ 30 , 1(~37898 Method of theConventional method present invention Electrode made of aluminium DC 18 V 1.5 A
Electrical requirements Electric condi- _ tioning agent:
NaCl Electric condi-tioning time:
9 min.
.
Na2S _10 kg/t Armac C 800 g/t190 g/t Flotation Nikko#10 oil 750 g/t 250 g/t conditions Flotation30 min. 15 min.
time pH 8.1 10.6 Zn Assay % Zn Re- Zn Assay ~ Zn Re-covery % covery Flotation Feed 21.9 100.021.9 100.0 results Froth 8.8 19.126.5 98.0 Tailings 34.5 80.9 2.3 2.0 ~''' :
.. ~ ', :
' ~
''', ',, ... . . .
. -........ ,: ;,. . . . , : : , .. ~ . . .. , .. - . , , . . . . , :, 1037t~98 The conventional flotation of the ore used in Example 3 has also been very difficult similar to that of the ore used in Ex~ple 2, and in fact has been abandoned as an industrial method. In accordance with the method of the present invention as illustrated in Examples 2 and 3, however, the flotation can be carried out extremely easily.
The flotation of silica-bearing manganese oxide ore (Mn 21.2 %, silica 46~) was carried out by the method of the present invention and also by the conventional method; the results shown in the following table were obtained.
~037898 Method of the Conventional present invention method Electrode made of aluminium DC 35 V 1.0 A
Electrical requirements . .
Electrlc condl-tioning agent:
LiCl Electric condi-tioning time:
10 min.
Armac: 250 g/t Acc#3037: 300 g/t Nikko#10 oil: Kerosene: 100 g/t 255 g/t Flotation conditions Flotation time: Nikko#10 oil: 100 g/t 7 min.
pH: 8.2 Armac C: S0 g/t Flotation 20 min.
time:
,, ' '-':' ' Mn Assay % Nn Re- Mn Assay % Mn Re-covery ~ covery %
Feed 21.2 100.0 21.2100.0 Flotation ;~
results Froth 10.2 17.7lS.9 38.7 ~
Tailings 30.5 82.3 26.861.3 ; -:
'.' ~ '- , ,. . ~ . .
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The flotation of the ore used in Example 4 is an instance in which the manganese is to be concentrated in the tailings, and the conventionsl methods have not been able to improve the assay above 30%. However, the method of the present invention improves the assay above 30% and improves the recovery.
. . .
The flotation of a non-metallic ore (SiO2 50 %, CaC03 50 %), was carried out by the method of the present invention and also by a comparative method, the results shown in the following table being obtained.
- . ;-'''' ' ' ' ' . . .
. .
.
, -' . . ' ' . . ' ' ' ' , ~037~9~
Method of the Method without electric present invention conditioning Electrode made of carbon DC 12 V 0.6 A
lectrical requirements Electric condi-tioning agent:
NaCl and PbS04 Electric condi-tioning time:
11 min.
Armac C 250 g/t 250 g/t Flotation Nikko#10 oil 625 g/t 625 g/t conditions Flotation 5 min. 5 min. ~1 time pH 7.5 8.1 .~
SiO2 Assay ~ 2 SiO2 2 covery % Assay ~ covery t ~ -Flotation Feed 50.0 100.0 50.0 100.0 ~ -results Froth 92.0 70.5 57.3 97.4 ~ ~ , Tailings 24.0 29.5 8.7 2.6 ~
.
,. . : . . .
` -103789E~
By the conventional process, the separation is practlcally impossible as shown in the table.
The method of the present invention and the conventional xanthate - process were applied to modified lead-zinc sulfide ore. The results were as shown in the following table.
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103789f~
Method of the Conventional xanthate _ present invention method Aluminium elec-trode DC 16 V
1.0 A
Electrical requirements Electric condi- _ tioning agent: -CH3COONa Electric condi-tioning time:
10 min.
''~
Na2C03: 2 kg/t Armac C: 150 g/t CuSO4: 2 kg/t Flotation conditions Nikko#lo oil Sodium amyl xanthate 100 g/t 600 g/t Flotation time: Nikko#10 oil: 250 g/t 17 min.
pH: 8.25 Flotation Time: 17 min.
pH: 7.8 ... .
Assay % Recov- Assay % Recov-ery % ery %
Pb Zn Pb Zn ~Pb Zn ~ 'n -~
l l Feed 1.5 10.5 100.0 100.0 1.5 10.5 100.0 100.0 Froth 6.9 49.6 89.1 91.5 7.3 48.9 78.4 77.7 ;~--Tailings 0.2 1.1 10.9 8.5 0.4 2.3 21 6 22.3 .. .. . . .
- 1 ~ ' ' ~ ', . ' ., ~ .., ,.. :, ;, :
` - 1037~98 In the xanthate flotation of lead and zinc ore, CuS04 i8 used as an activating agent usually in an amount of about 500 g/t maxlmum but for the flotation of the ore of Example 6, the large amount of 2 kg/t was necessary and the recovery was small. Therefore, the conventional xanthate method is not commercially practicable for such ore in the industry. However, the employ-ment of the method of the present invention improves the recovery despite a decrease in the amount of mineral processing agent used, and therefore it is industrially profitable.
The method of the present invention was applied to a zinc ore (containing iron sulfide ore and zinc sulfide ore and sampled after activation with copper sulfate) at natural pH and under the following conditions, to separate the Zn and Fe. The results shown in table 7 were obtained.
. Electric conditioning agent: CaC12, 0.2 mol/liter, Ni electrode 4.8 V 1.0 A
Electric conditioning time: 5 min., Pine oil S0 g/t .,~ .
KEX 120 g/t ? Flotation time: 7 min., pH 7.5 -Assay X Recovery X
Rind of Weight %
ore Zn Fe Zn Fe , Peed 100 45.3 15.2 100 100 Zinc 84.1 52.6 10.2 97.6 56.6 concentrate TailiDgs 15.9 6.8 41.4 2.4 43.4 `~ TABLE 7 shows that Zn and Pe can be effectively separated in ~ ~ -accordance with the flotation method of the present invention.
In the conventional method for such composite ore using lime, the use of a large amount of lime tends to simultaneously depress zinc ore.
The result obtained by the conventional selective flotation of Fe from Zn con-centrate in which Fe assay was high was 48% at the most in Zn assay.
In the flotation method applied to molybdenum-bearing copper .
. .
.
- . ,.
. .: . : . : ~.
)37898 sulfide ore, cyanide, arsenic sulfide or phosphorus sulfide have heretofore been used, but these depressing agents are not preferred because of their toxity. The method of the present invention was however applied to the flotation of molybdenum-bearing copper sulfide ore under the following conditions to obtain the results shuwn in TABLE 8.
Electric conditioning agent: NaCl 0.1 mol/liter, Fe electrode 35 V, 1.0 A.
Electric conditioning time: 1 min., MIBC 150 g/t, kerosene 50 g/t Flotation time: 5 min., pH 8.5 Assay % Recovery Kind of Weight %
ore Mo Cu Mo Cu '' Feed 100 1.1 27.9 100100 Concentrate 5.2 18.1 19.7 86.9 3.7 Tailings94.80.15 28.4 13.1 96.3 ~ - ;
TABLE 8 shows that Mo and Cu can be separated effectively with-out using toxic agents. Thus, the cleaning steps required are much fewer in comparison with flotation using the conventional depressants. -.
In the flotation of lead sulfide ore and copper sulfide ore cyanite i8 used as Cu depressing agent and a bichromate is used as Pb depress-ing agent, but the depressing agents are not preferred because of their toxity.
However, the method of the present invention was applied to the flotation of lead sulfide and copper sulfide ore under the following conditions, the results shown in TABLE 9 being obtai~ed. `~
Electric conditioning agent~ CH3COONa 0.3 mol/liter, Al electrode 44 V 0.8 A ~-Electric conditioning time: 2 min., Pine oil 120 g/t.
XEX 80 g/t ~ -Flotation time: 7 min.
:
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~ .
` 1037898 Assay % Recovery %
Kind of Weight ore Pb Cu Pb Cu Feed 1004.5 24.5 100 100 Concentrate 20.8 15.9 17.7 73.6 15.0 Tailings 79.21.5 26.3 26.4 85.0 ~ '; .. .
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The present invention relates to an ore flotation method char-acterized by pre-treatment of the slurry of ore.
- In general, the separation effect of ore flotation i8 brought about by selective chemical and physical action under certain conditions betweenthe various mineral processing agents and the surface of the various ores, and flotation techniques have been established to a certain degree with respect to the so-called sulfide ores.
However, when the surface characteristics of the ores are very similar, as with oxide ores and non-metallic ores the preferred selection is extremely difficult even when conventional flotation techniqués~ for example the regulation of pH and/or temperature, and the choice of mineral processing agent, are employed.
For example, the method in which silica-bearing zinc oxide ore is sulfided with Na2S while heating, and then a cationic collector used, and x other methods are known. These methods have operat~onal disadvantages such as the necessity of desliming before flotation, heating of slurry, and addition of a large quantity of mineral processing agent; they also have the tlsadvantage that the flotation efficiency is generally poor.
The present inventors have researched for man~ years to develop a flotation method which is free of the disadvantages of the conventional processes.
As a result of the numerous researches on ore flotstion, and noting that the ores have a surface electric charge in the slurry state which varles according to the kinds of ions present, the pH of the slurry, and the like, and that the effect of the mineral processing agents for ores changes ln response to fluctuations in surface electric charge, it has been found that desired effects not obtained in the conventional techniques can be ob-tained by conducting d-c current through the slurry, thereby varying the surface electric charge of the ores. The present invention thus relates to an ore flotation method in which d-c current is conducted through the slurry as a pre-treatment to the flotation.
In the present invention, the surface electric charge of the ores can be varied by :hanging the combination of electrote material, voltage, '~
. . . ' ..
103789~
current and electric conditioning agents for conduction of the current;
therefore control of the flotation characteristics i8 easily obtained.
In accordance with the present invention, as the electrical requirements for the ore slurry, for instance, the properties of the electrodes and the electric conditioning time that is, time of conduction of current, are changed, the flotation characteristics of the ores can be varied. The variation of the flotation characteristics by variation in these electrical requirements will be described by reference to the drawings.
In the drawings;
Figure l is a graph showing the variation in recovery of quartz with differences in electrode material; ~ -Figure 2 is a graph showing the variation in recovery of quartz with increase in the electric conditioning time i.e. time of conduction of current through the slurry, and ~ Figure 3 is a graph showing the relationship between the electrode materials and recovery of calcite;
F~gures 4 to 8 respectively show the variation in depressing rates of sulfide ores with different electrode materials used and Figure 9 shows the variation in depressing effect with variation in electric conditioning time or time of conduction of the d-c current prior to the flotation of molybdenum-bearing copper sulfide ore.
In the experiments on which Figures l to 3 are based, high purity quartz and calcite were used respectively as samples, and a cationic Armac* C
(available from Armour Industrial Chemical Co.) was used as collector, and Nikko No. 10 oil (manufactured by Nippon Perfumery Co., Ltd.) was used as frothing agent. In these experiments, a small laboratory flotation cell was used and the electrode was inserted into the cell after electrically insulating the cell and a stirrer, electric current was conducted through the slurry in the cell, and thereafter the flotation was carried out.
The conditions for flotation and conduction of current were the same, except for changes ln electrode material in the experiments for Figures l and 3 while in the experiment for Figure 2 the time of conduction or con-ditioning time was varied. "Non" in Figure 1 and F~p,ure 3 shows the flotation * Trade mark :. , . ~. ~ . .
: . ~ - . :. : -103789~
ln the case where the electric conditioning of the slurry was not carrlet out.
In the experiments for Figures 4 to 8, pure copper sulfide ore, lead sulfide ore, zinc sulfide ore, iron sulfide ore and molybdenum sulfide ore were used respectively as samples. However the zinc sulfide ore was used after activation with copper sulfate. As the mineral processing agents in this series of experiments, fuel oil and MIBC (methyl isobutyl carbinol) were used for the molybdenum sulfide ore, and potassium ethyl xanthate (KEX) and pine oil were used for the other sulfide ores. The appratus used was a normal experimental flotator in which the cell and the stirrer were electrically insulated. The electrode was inserted into the cell, and d-c current was conducted through the slurry to carry out the condieioning; thereafter the flotation was carried out with the use of the aforementioned mineral process-ing agents. In the experiments, the voltage and current, the electric con-ditioning time or time of passage of current, and the addition, amount and kind of electric conditioning agent for each sample were constant. "Non" in the drawings indicates flotation without prior conditioning with electric current -and the ~rdinate ~GL~ ch4w~ the ~epr~si~g rate of the electric conditioning which is a depressing rate for each electrode relative to "non" as zero.
From each drawing, it is observed that the electrode material and electric conditioning time in the treatment according to the present invention have a considerable effect on the flotation characteristics. Consequently, as ~hown in examples to be described hereinafter, the flotation of metal-bearing ores containing silicates and/or alkaline carbonates, can be carried out with high efficiency by suitable combination of the various electrical requirements and sub~ection of the ores to the conditioning treatment according to the present invention so that in the flotation of those ores either depression or promotion is maximized.
In the present invention, when stirring is used during passage of the d-c current, the electrode is inserted into a conditioner with an electrically insulated stirrer (which may be of circular or angular type). In the feed and discharge of the slurry of ore in this case, both combinations of feed to the upper and bottom surfaces of the conditioner and discharge from the upper surface and bottom surface of the conditi-ner may be employed.
.
. .
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" 103789~
On the other hand, when stirring i9 not used it i9 preferred that the electrode be inserted into the electrically insulAted condit~oner, and the slurry uniformly charged to the upper surface of the condltloner and dis-charged from the bottom. The size of the conditioner is determined according to the time required for the treatment. -There are preferred values for voltage and current for the con-ditioning according to the particular minerals, but it is preferable to adopt as the most economic values those in the ranges 0.002~- 20 A/dm current density and 0.5 ~ 750 Vof voltage by taking into consideration, for instance, the amoùnt of electric conditioning agent to be added, the distance between ~ -the electrodes, the area of the electrodes and the electric conditioning time. 5~ ;
The shape of the electrodes to be used in the present invention may be of any form such as plate, stick, cylinder, lattice, and fiber. As to the properties of the electrodes, soluble electrodes made for example of aluminium, nickel, copper, lead, zinc, iron, or their alloys, or insoluble electrodes made for example of carbon or combinations thereof may be employed.
In the present invention, electric conditioning agents are desirably used, and these may be one or more hydroxides as for example ~OH, NaOH, Ca(OH)2, Zn(OH)2, NH40H, acids as for example, H2S04, NH03, HCl, CH3COOH.
H2C204, and their salts, according to the particular minerals m the ore.
The joint use of an electric conditioning agent with conventional -flotation agents, as for instance, dispersing agent, ad~ustor, activating agent depressing agent is also effective.
With the use of the d-c current method for conditioning of the ,. .
slurry according to the present invention, ores that have previously been discarded because of the tifficulty of separation by flotation can effectively be recovered. Furthermore, Ithe method of the present invention is extremely effective in the utilization of underground resources because the efficiency of ore flotation is improved by comparison with the conventional methods.
The method of the present invention was applied to the flotation of zinc oxide ore (Zn 22.8 %, SiO2 56X) which is difficult by the conventional amine flotation method. The results shown in the following table were obtained.
.
: "' ,' ' ' , ' ~ , . . ' ' ~ . , ` - 103789~
,, Method of the Conventional present invention method Electrode made of aluminium DC 27 V, 1.0 A
Electrical requirements Electric condi-tioning agent:
CH3COONa Electric condi- .
tioning time:
5 minutes Na2S _ 10 kg/t Armac C 230 g/t 200 g/t Flotation Nikko#10 oil 250 g/t 250 g/t conditions Flotation15 min. 15 min.
. time pH 8.3 11.2 Zn Assay % Zn Recov- Zn Assay % Zn Re-ery % covery ~ ~ . .
Flotation Feed 22.8 100.0 22.8 100.0 results Froth 43.1 90.1 23.8 92.9 Tailing4.3 9.9 14.77.1 -5- .
, . . . . .. . . . . . .. .
The amine flotation method i9 known as the method of flotatlon for the composite ore used in Example 1, but, even when a large amount of Na2S (10 kg/t) is used, the separation is not substantially achieved. However when the electric conditioning treatment of the present invention i8 carried out, the separation performances are remarkably improved.
; EXANPLE 2 - The method of the present invention and the conventional method were applied to the flotation of zinc oxide ore containing a large amount of calcite (Zn 22.2 %, CaO 28%). The results shown in the following table were obtained.
- :
' ' 103789g3 Method of the Conventional method present invention Electrode made of lead DC 35 V 1.5 A
Electrical requirements Electric condi- _ tioning agent:
KCl Electric condi-tioning time:
7 min.
Na2S _ 10 kg/t Armac C 225 g/t 150 g/t Flotation Nikko#10 oil 190 g/t 190 g/t conditions Flotation 15 min. 15 min.
time pH 8.9 11.3 Zn Assay % Zn Re- Zn Assay % Zn Re-covery % covery %
.~
Flotation Feed 22.2loo 22.2 100 results Froth 41.8 79.730.3 95.8 Tailings 7.8 20.33.1 4.2 :
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103789~
The separation of the composite ore uset in Example 2 by flotation has heretofore been ~ost difficult. The "conventional method" of the TABLE was carried out as a comparison with the method of the present lnvention. -The flotation of zinc oxide ore containing a large amount of kaolin (Zn 21.9 %, kaolin 50 %), was carried out using the method of the present - ~ -invention, and also by the conventional method, the results being shown in the following table.
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' ~ 30 , 1(~37898 Method of theConventional method present invention Electrode made of aluminium DC 18 V 1.5 A
Electrical requirements Electric condi- _ tioning agent:
NaCl Electric condi-tioning time:
9 min.
.
Na2S _10 kg/t Armac C 800 g/t190 g/t Flotation Nikko#10 oil 750 g/t 250 g/t conditions Flotation30 min. 15 min.
time pH 8.1 10.6 Zn Assay % Zn Re- Zn Assay ~ Zn Re-covery % covery Flotation Feed 21.9 100.021.9 100.0 results Froth 8.8 19.126.5 98.0 Tailings 34.5 80.9 2.3 2.0 ~''' :
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. -........ ,: ;,. . . . , : : , .. ~ . . .. , .. - . , , . . . . , :, 1037t~98 The conventional flotation of the ore used in Example 3 has also been very difficult similar to that of the ore used in Ex~ple 2, and in fact has been abandoned as an industrial method. In accordance with the method of the present invention as illustrated in Examples 2 and 3, however, the flotation can be carried out extremely easily.
The flotation of silica-bearing manganese oxide ore (Mn 21.2 %, silica 46~) was carried out by the method of the present invention and also by the conventional method; the results shown in the following table were obtained.
~037898 Method of the Conventional present invention method Electrode made of aluminium DC 35 V 1.0 A
Electrical requirements . .
Electrlc condl-tioning agent:
LiCl Electric condi-tioning time:
10 min.
Armac: 250 g/t Acc#3037: 300 g/t Nikko#10 oil: Kerosene: 100 g/t 255 g/t Flotation conditions Flotation time: Nikko#10 oil: 100 g/t 7 min.
pH: 8.2 Armac C: S0 g/t Flotation 20 min.
time:
,, ' '-':' ' Mn Assay % Nn Re- Mn Assay % Mn Re-covery ~ covery %
Feed 21.2 100.0 21.2100.0 Flotation ;~
results Froth 10.2 17.7lS.9 38.7 ~
Tailings 30.5 82.3 26.861.3 ; -:
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The flotation of the ore used in Example 4 is an instance in which the manganese is to be concentrated in the tailings, and the conventionsl methods have not been able to improve the assay above 30%. However, the method of the present invention improves the assay above 30% and improves the recovery.
. . .
The flotation of a non-metallic ore (SiO2 50 %, CaC03 50 %), was carried out by the method of the present invention and also by a comparative method, the results shown in the following table being obtained.
- . ;-'''' ' ' ' ' . . .
. .
.
, -' . . ' ' . . ' ' ' ' , ~037~9~
Method of the Method without electric present invention conditioning Electrode made of carbon DC 12 V 0.6 A
lectrical requirements Electric condi-tioning agent:
NaCl and PbS04 Electric condi-tioning time:
11 min.
Armac C 250 g/t 250 g/t Flotation Nikko#10 oil 625 g/t 625 g/t conditions Flotation 5 min. 5 min. ~1 time pH 7.5 8.1 .~
SiO2 Assay ~ 2 SiO2 2 covery % Assay ~ covery t ~ -Flotation Feed 50.0 100.0 50.0 100.0 ~ -results Froth 92.0 70.5 57.3 97.4 ~ ~ , Tailings 24.0 29.5 8.7 2.6 ~
.
,. . : . . .
` -103789E~
By the conventional process, the separation is practlcally impossible as shown in the table.
The method of the present invention and the conventional xanthate - process were applied to modified lead-zinc sulfide ore. The results were as shown in the following table.
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103789f~
Method of the Conventional xanthate _ present invention method Aluminium elec-trode DC 16 V
1.0 A
Electrical requirements Electric condi- _ tioning agent: -CH3COONa Electric condi-tioning time:
10 min.
''~
Na2C03: 2 kg/t Armac C: 150 g/t CuSO4: 2 kg/t Flotation conditions Nikko#lo oil Sodium amyl xanthate 100 g/t 600 g/t Flotation time: Nikko#10 oil: 250 g/t 17 min.
pH: 8.25 Flotation Time: 17 min.
pH: 7.8 ... .
Assay % Recov- Assay % Recov-ery % ery %
Pb Zn Pb Zn ~Pb Zn ~ 'n -~
l l Feed 1.5 10.5 100.0 100.0 1.5 10.5 100.0 100.0 Froth 6.9 49.6 89.1 91.5 7.3 48.9 78.4 77.7 ;~--Tailings 0.2 1.1 10.9 8.5 0.4 2.3 21 6 22.3 .. .. . . .
- 1 ~ ' ' ~ ', . ' ., ~ .., ,.. :, ;, :
` - 1037~98 In the xanthate flotation of lead and zinc ore, CuS04 i8 used as an activating agent usually in an amount of about 500 g/t maxlmum but for the flotation of the ore of Example 6, the large amount of 2 kg/t was necessary and the recovery was small. Therefore, the conventional xanthate method is not commercially practicable for such ore in the industry. However, the employ-ment of the method of the present invention improves the recovery despite a decrease in the amount of mineral processing agent used, and therefore it is industrially profitable.
The method of the present invention was applied to a zinc ore (containing iron sulfide ore and zinc sulfide ore and sampled after activation with copper sulfate) at natural pH and under the following conditions, to separate the Zn and Fe. The results shown in table 7 were obtained.
. Electric conditioning agent: CaC12, 0.2 mol/liter, Ni electrode 4.8 V 1.0 A
Electric conditioning time: 5 min., Pine oil S0 g/t .,~ .
KEX 120 g/t ? Flotation time: 7 min., pH 7.5 -Assay X Recovery X
Rind of Weight %
ore Zn Fe Zn Fe , Peed 100 45.3 15.2 100 100 Zinc 84.1 52.6 10.2 97.6 56.6 concentrate TailiDgs 15.9 6.8 41.4 2.4 43.4 `~ TABLE 7 shows that Zn and Pe can be effectively separated in ~ ~ -accordance with the flotation method of the present invention.
In the conventional method for such composite ore using lime, the use of a large amount of lime tends to simultaneously depress zinc ore.
The result obtained by the conventional selective flotation of Fe from Zn con-centrate in which Fe assay was high was 48% at the most in Zn assay.
In the flotation method applied to molybdenum-bearing copper .
. .
.
- . ,.
. .: . : . : ~.
)37898 sulfide ore, cyanide, arsenic sulfide or phosphorus sulfide have heretofore been used, but these depressing agents are not preferred because of their toxity. The method of the present invention was however applied to the flotation of molybdenum-bearing copper sulfide ore under the following conditions to obtain the results shuwn in TABLE 8.
Electric conditioning agent: NaCl 0.1 mol/liter, Fe electrode 35 V, 1.0 A.
Electric conditioning time: 1 min., MIBC 150 g/t, kerosene 50 g/t Flotation time: 5 min., pH 8.5 Assay % Recovery Kind of Weight %
ore Mo Cu Mo Cu '' Feed 100 1.1 27.9 100100 Concentrate 5.2 18.1 19.7 86.9 3.7 Tailings94.80.15 28.4 13.1 96.3 ~ - ;
TABLE 8 shows that Mo and Cu can be separated effectively with-out using toxic agents. Thus, the cleaning steps required are much fewer in comparison with flotation using the conventional depressants. -.
In the flotation of lead sulfide ore and copper sulfide ore cyanite i8 used as Cu depressing agent and a bichromate is used as Pb depress-ing agent, but the depressing agents are not preferred because of their toxity.
However, the method of the present invention was applied to the flotation of lead sulfide and copper sulfide ore under the following conditions, the results shown in TABLE 9 being obtai~ed. `~
Electric conditioning agent~ CH3COONa 0.3 mol/liter, Al electrode 44 V 0.8 A ~-Electric conditioning time: 2 min., Pine oil 120 g/t.
XEX 80 g/t ~ -Flotation time: 7 min.
:
" .:
~ .
` 1037898 Assay % Recovery %
Kind of Weight ore Pb Cu Pb Cu Feed 1004.5 24.5 100 100 Concentrate 20.8 15.9 17.7 73.6 15.0 Tailings 79.21.5 26.3 26.4 85.0 ~ '; .. .
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Claims (15)
OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. An ore flotation method which comprises conducting d-c current of 0.002-20 A/dm2 current density at 0.5-750V by means of electrodes through a slurry of the ore, for a period of time effective to change the surface electric potentials of ore particles to alter their flotation characteristics and to improve separation characteristics, discontinuing application of the d-c current, and thereafter carrying out the flotation of the ore.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the ore is an oxide ore.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the ore is a sulfide ore.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein an electric conditioning agent is added to the ore slurry.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the electric conditioning agent is a member of the group of potassium, sodium, zinc, calcium, and ammonium hydroxides, hydrochloric, sulfuric, nitric, oxalic, and acetic acids, and salts thereof.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the electrode material is selected from the group of Al, Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni and their alloys and carbon.
7. The method of claim 2 wherein the ore is a mixture of zinc oxide and silica, the electrodes are made of aluminium, the surface electric potential of ore particles is altered to improve the floatability of zinc oxide and a concentrate of zinc oxide is recovered as froth from the flotation of the ore.
8. The method of claim 2 wherein the ore is a mixture of zinc oxide and calcium oxide, the electrodes are made of lead, the surface electric potential of ore particles is altered to improve the floatability of zinc oxide and a concentrate of zinc oxide is recovered as froth from the flotation of the ore.
9. The method of claim 2 wherein the ore is a mixture of zinc oxide and kaolin, the electrodes are made of aluminium, the sur-face electric potential of ore particles is altered to depress the floata-bility of zinc oxide and a concentrate of zinc oxide is recovered as tailings from the flotation of the ore.
10. The method of claim 2 wherein the ore is a mixture of manganese oxide and silica, the electrodes are made of aluminium, the surface electric potential of ore particles is altered to depress the floatability of manganese oxide and a concentrate of manganese oxide is recovered as tailings from the flotation of the ore.
11. The method of claim 2 wherein the ore is a mixture of silica and calcium carbonate, the electrodes are made of carbon, the surface electric potential of ore particles is altered to improve the floatability of silica and a concentrate of silica is recovered as froth from the flotation of the ore.
12. The method of claim 3 wherein the ore is a mixture of zinc sulfide and iron sulfide, the electrodes are made of nickel, the surface electric potential of ore particles is altered to depress the floatability of iron sulfide and a concentrate of zinc sulfide is re-covered as froth from the flotation of the ore.
13. The method of claim 3 wherein the ore is a mixture of molybdenum sulfide and copper sulfide, the electrodes are made of iron, the surface electric potential of ore particles is altered to depress the floatability of copper sulfide and a concentrate of molybdenum sulfide is recovered as froth from the flotation of the ore.
14. The method of claim 3 wherein the ore is a mixture of lead sulfide and copper sulfide, the electrodes are made of aluminium, the surface electric potential of ore particles is altered to depress the floatability of copper sulfide and a concentrate of lead sulfide is recovered as froth from the flotation of the ore.
15. The method of claim 3 wherein the ore is a mixture of lead sulfide and zinc sulfide, the electrodes are made of aluminium, the surface electric potential of ore particles is altered to depress the floatability of lead sulfide and a concentrate of zinc sulfide is re-covered as froth from the flotation of the ore.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP678173A JPS5620068B2 (en) | 1973-01-13 | 1973-01-13 | |
| JP48127188A JPS5077201A (en) | 1973-11-14 | 1973-11-14 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1037898A true CA1037898A (en) | 1978-09-05 |
Family
ID=26340987
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA189,999A Expired CA1037898A (en) | 1973-01-13 | 1974-01-11 | Flotation of ore slurry with prior direct current treatment |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| AU (1) | AU474815B2 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1037898A (en) |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AU603105B2 (en) * | 1987-03-24 | 1990-11-08 | Khimiko-Metallurgichesky Institut Tsentralno-Kazakhstanskogo Otdelenia Akademii Nauk Kazakhskoi Ssr | Method for concentrating oxidized copper ore |
-
1974
- 1974-01-10 AU AU64374/74A patent/AU474815B2/en not_active Expired
- 1974-01-11 CA CA189,999A patent/CA1037898A/en not_active Expired
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| AU6437474A (en) | 1975-07-10 |
| AU474815B2 (en) | 1976-08-05 |
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