Mineral processing

A method of processing a mixture of minerals including the steps of:

• (a) providing a mixture of minerals which includes a metal containing mineral and one or more unwanted gangue minerals;
• (b) achieving a contact between the mixture of minerals and polymeric material that includes a mineral binding moiety which selectively binds to the metal containing mineral;
• (c) separating the gangue minerals and the polymeric material which has the metal containing mineral bound thereto;
• and
• (d) releasing the metal containing mineral from the polymeric material, wherein step b) includes the substeps of:
• i) introducing a collector compound to the mixture of minerals, wherein the collector compound includes the mineral binding moiety and a polymer attachment moiety;
• ii) selectively binding the collector compound to the metal containing mineral;
• and
• iii) attaching the collector compound to a polymer using the polymer attachment moiety;
• in which in sub-step iii) the collector compound is attached to the polymer by a covalent bond formed by a SN2 nucleophilic reaction between the polymer attachment moiety and a surface group of the polymer;
• wherein the polymeric material includes a polymer formed by polymerising a polymeric precursor which includes a group of sub-formula (I)
• where
• R1 is i) CRa, where Ra is hydrogen or alkyl, ii) a group N+R13 (Zm−)1/m, S(O)pR14, or SiR15 where R13 is hydrogen, halo, nitro, or hydrocarbyl, optionally substituted or interposed with functional groups, R14 and R15 are independently selected from hydrogen or hydrocarbyl, Z is an anion of charge m, p is 0, 1 or 2 and q is 1 or 2, iii) C(O)N, C(S)N, S(O)2N, C(O)ON, CH2ON, or CH═CHRcN where Rc is an electron withdrawing group, or iv) OC(O)CH, C(O)OCH or S(O)2CH;
• in which R12 is selected from hydrogen, halo, nitro, hydrocarbyl, optionally substituted or interposed with functional groups, or R3—R5═Y1;
• R2 and R3 are independently selected from (CR7R8)n, or a group CR9R10, CR7R8CR9R10 or CR9R10CR7R8 where n is 0, 1 or 2, R7 and R8 are independently selected from hydrogen or alkyl, and either one of R9 or R10 is hydrogen and the other is an electron withdrawing group, or R9 and R10 together form an electron withdrawing group;
• R4 and R5 are independently selected from CH or CR11 where CR11 is an electron withdrawing group,
• the dotted lines indicate the presence or absence of a bond, X1 is a group CX2X3 where the dotted line bond to which it is attached is absent and a group CX2 where the dotted line to which it is attached is present, Y1 is a group CY2Y3 where the dotted line to which it is attached is absent and a group CY2 where the dotted line to which it is attached is present;
• and
• X2,X3,Y2 and Y3 are independently selected from hydrogen, fluorine or other substituents.

A method of processing a mixture of minerals including the steps of:

• (a) providing a mixture of minerals which includes a metal containing mineral and one or more unwanted gangue minerals;
• (b) achieving a contact between the mixture of minerals and polymeric material that includes a mineral binding moiety which selectively binds to the metal containing mineral;
• and
• (c) separating the gangue minerals and the polymeric material which has the metal containing mineral bound thereto, wherein
• the polymeric material includes a polymeric substrate having a surface which has the mineral binding moiety attached thereto and the polymeric material includes polymeric chains which are grafted onto the surface of the polymeric substrate,
• the polymeric chains include the mineral binding moiety, and
• the polymeric substrate is an epoxide or a diisocyanate having the polymeric chains grafted thereon.

A method of processing a mixture of minerals including the steps of:

• (a) providing a mixture of minerals which includes a metal containing mineral and one or more unwanted gangue minerals;
• (b) achieving a contact between the mixture of minerals and polymeric material that includes a mineral binding moiety which selectively binds to the metal containing mineral;
• and
• (c) separating the gangue minerals and the polymeric material which has the metal containing mineral bound thereto, wherein
• the polymeric material includes a polymeric substrate having a surface which has the mineral binding moiety attached thereto and the polymeric material includes polymeric chains which are grafted onto the surface of the polymeric substrate,
• the polymeric chains include the mineral binding moiety, and
• the mineral binding moiety is a thiourea;
• and
• wherein the polymeric material includes a polymer formed by polymerising a polymeric precursor which includes a group of sub-formula (I)
• where R1 is i) CRa, where Ra is hydrogen or alkyl, ii) a group N+R13(Zm−)1/m, S(O)pR14, or SiR15 where R13 is hydrogen, halo, nitro, or hydrocarbyl, optionally substituted or interposed with functional groups, R14 and R15 are independently selected from hydrogen or hydrocarbyl, Z is an anion of charge m, p is 0, 1 or 2 and q is 1 or 2, iii) C(O)N, C(S)N, S(O)2N, C(O)ON, CH2ON, or CH═CHRcN where Rc is an electron withdrawing group, or iv) OC(O)CH, C(O)OCH or S(O)2CH;
• in which R12 is selected from hydrogen, halo, nitro, hydrocarbyl, optionally substituted or interposed with functional groups, or —R3—R5═Y1;
• R2 and R3 are independently selected from (CR7R8)n, or a group CR9R10, CR7R8CR9R10 or CR9R10CR7R8 where n is 0, 1 or 2, R7 and R8 are independently selected from hydrogen or alkyl, and either one of R9 or R10 is hydrogen and the other is an electron withdrawing group, or R9 and R10 together form an electron withdrawing group;
• R4 and R5 are independently selected from CH or CR11 where CR11 is an electron withdrawing group;
• the dotted lines indicate the presence or absence of a bond, X1 is a group CX2X3 where the dotted line bond to which it is attached is absent and a group CX2 where the dotted line to which it is attached is present, Y1 is a group CY2Y3 where the dotted line to which it is attached is absent and a group CY2 where the dotted line to which it is attached is present;
• and
• X2,X3,Y2 and Y3 are independently selected from hydrogen, fluorine or other substituents.