Flotation beneficiation process for non-sulfide minerals
AssigneeAmerican Cyanamid Company
InventorsD. R. Nagaraj, Alan S. Rothenberg, Alexander S. Lambert
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Abstract
An improved method of separating non-sulfide value minerals from non-sulfide ores is disclosed. The improved method includes the step of adding a depressant selective for siliceous gangue minerals and materials to a flotation slurry previously conditioned with an anionic collector. In preferred embodiments, the depressants comprise copolymers or terpolymers derived from acrylamide units and N-acrylamidoglycolic acid units. The method provides generally improved recoveries of non-sulfide value minerals at higher grade, in a reduced number of flotation steps and at reduced consumption levels of flotation reagents.
Claims16
A method for froth flotation of non-sulfide value minerals with selective depression of associated siliceous gangue minerals and materials, said method comprising:
- (a) providing an aqueous pulp slurry of finely-divided, liberation-sized non-sulfide particles;
- (b) adjusting the pH of said pulp slurry to a value of between about 5 and 11;
- (c) conditioning said pulp slurry with an effective amount of an anionic collector;
- (d) further conditioning said pulp slurry with an effective amount of a depressant selective for siliceous gangue minerals and materials, said depressant comprising a polymer derived from:
- (i) x units of the formula:
- ##STR8## (ii) y units of the formula:
- ##STR9## and (iii) z units of the formula:
- ##STR10## wherein R.sup.1 is hydrogen or C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl;
- M is hydrogen, an alkali metal cation or ammonium ion;
- x represents the residual mol percent fraction;
- y is a mol percent fraction ranging from about 1% to about 50%;
- z is a mol percent fraction ranging from about 0% to about 45%, and the average molecular weight of the polymer is between about 500 and about 1,000,000;
- and
- (e) collecting the non-sulfide value minerals by froth flotation procedures.
A method for froth flotation beneficiation of non-sulfide value minerals from non-sulfide ores with selective depression of siliceous gangue minerals and materials, said method comprising:
- (a) providing an aqueous pulp slurry of finely-divided, liberation-sized ore particles;
- (b) adjusting the pH of said pulp slurry to a value of between about 5 and 11;
- (c) conditioning said pulp slurry with an effective amount of an anionic collector;
- (d) further conditioning said pulp slurry with an effective amount of a depressant selective for siliceous gangue minerals and materials, said depressant comprising a copolymer or terpolymer derived from:
- (i) x units of the formula:
- ##STR11## (ii) y units of the formula:
- ##STR12## and (iii) z units of the formula:
- ##STR13## wherein R.sup.1 is hydrogen or C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl;
- M is hydrogen, an alkali metal cation or ammonium ion;
- x represents the residual mol percent fraction;
- y is a mol percent fraction ranging from about 1% to about 50%;
- z is a mol percent fraction ranging from about 0% to about 45%, and the average molecular weight of the copolymer or terpolymer is between about 500 and about 1,000,000;
- and
- (e) collecting the non-sulfide value minerals by froth flotation procedures.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.