Process for increasing the selectivity of mineral flotation
AssigneeFalconbridge Limited
InventorSrdjan Bulatovic
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Abstract
An aqueous solution containing a water soluble polyvalent metal sulphate, an alkali metal silicate and an alkali metal metabisulphite is described which is added to a slurry of a copper mineral bearing ore to be subjected to a froth flotation step for obtaining a copper concentrate. The aqueous solution is added to enhance the selectivity of conventional flotation collectors and depressants when the valuable minerals are finally disseminated in the host ore, which is then required to be ground to very small particle sizes to achieve the desired liberation. Other valuable minerals such as those bearing zinc and lead, may be recovered from the tailing.
Claims11
A method for enhancing the selectivity of a collector agent used in froth flotation for attaining mineral separation in a copper sulphidic mineral bearing ore beneficiation process comprising, adding a premixed aqueous solution containing a water soluble polyvalent metal sulphate, and an alkali metal silicate and an alkali metal metabisulphite to an aqueous slurry of the copper sulphidic mineral bearing ore in a stage preceding froth flotation, said froth flotation being conducted in the presence of said collector agents, to obtain a separated ore phase enriched in said copper minerals, and a flotation tailing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.