Froth flotation process and collector composition
AssigneePennwalt Corporation
InventorAdriaan Wiechers
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A collector composition for use in concentrating metallic mineral ores by froth flotation which comprises a mixture of a mercaptan and an emulsifying or wetting agent adapted to improve the dispersion of the mercaptan into the pulp, and a froth flotation method for concentrating metallic mineral ores wherein the above collector composition is employed as the collector, are disclosed herein.
Claims26
In the method for the recovery of copper values by froth flotation from copper ores wherein an alkyl mercaptan having the formula C.sub.n H.sub.2n+1 --SH wherein n is an integer of from 12 to 16 is used as a collector, the improvement which includes the step of, prior to addition of the mercaptan collector to the copper ore pulp, thoroughly mixing said mercaptan with a polyglycol selected from the following:
- (a) a polyglycol having the general formula:
- (I) R.sub.1 --(OR.sub.2).sub.m --OH in which R.sub.1 is selected from the group consisting of phenyl, alkyl substituted phenyl, alkyl, hydrogen and a saturated heterocyclic group, R.sub.2 is an alkylidene group, m is an integer of at least 2 and said polyglycol has a molecular weight between 50 and 2000;
- and
- (b) a polyglycol having the general formula:
- (II) R.sub.1 --(OR.sub.3).sub.n --(OR.sub.4).sub.p --OH in which R.sub.1 is as defined for formula I herein, R.sub.3 is --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, R.sub.4 is ##STR10## and n and p are integers ranging from 2 to 5, and the mixture containing greater than 50 percent by volume of said mercaptan.
A collector composition for use in a froth flotation process, said composition comprising a mixture of an alkyl mercaptan having the formula C.sub.n H.sub.2n+1 --SH wherein n is an integer of from 12 to 16 and a polyglycol, said polyglycol selected from the group consisting of
- (a) a polyglycol having the general formula:
- (I) R.sub.1 --(OR.sub.2).sub.m --OH in which R.sub.1 is selected from the group consisting of phenyl, alkyl substituted phenyl, alkyl, hydrogen and a saturated heterocyclic group, R.sub.2 is an alkylidene group, m is an integer of at least 2 and said polyglycol has a molecular weight between 50 and 2000, and
- (b) a polyglycol having the general formula:
- (II) R.sub.1 --(OR.sub.3).sub.n --(OR.sub.4).sub.p --OH in which R.sub.1 is as defined for formula I herein, R.sub.3 is --CH--CH.sub.2 --, R.sub.4 is ##STR12## n and p are integers of from 2 to 5, said mercaptan being present in the mixture in an amount ranging from greater than 50 up to about 95 percent based on the volume of said mixture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.