Depressant for flotation separation of polymetallic sulphidic ores
AssigneeFalconbridge Limited
InventorsSrdjan Bulatovic, Tim M. Jessup
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Abstract
A new depressant for use in enhanced separation of polymetallic sulphides is described. The depressant agent is used in conjunction with conventional collector agents and frothing agents in the flotation separation of copper, nickel, lead, zinc sulphides by depressing iron sulphides such as pyrrhotite, pyrite and marcasite in the tailing. The depressant consists of a cross-linked starch chemically combined with a polyacrylate and sugar free lignin sulphonate.
Claims20
A process for the froth flotation separation of value metal minerals and iron sulphidic minerals contained in polymetallic sulphidic minerals, wherein said iron sulphidic minerals contained in said polymetallic sulphidic minerals are being depressed, comprising the steps of:
- (a) preparing a depressant agent by first chemically reacting a causticized cationic starch with a cross-linking agent selected from the group consisting of:
- carbon disulphide, aminoacetonitrile and diethylenetriamine, thereafter chemically combining the resultant cross-linked causticized cationic starch with a polyacrylate, and lastly chemically reacting the resultant cross-linked causticized cationic starch-polyacrylate with lignin sulphonate;
- (b) adding said depressant agent to an aqueous slurry of the polymetallic sulphidic minerals in an amount sufficient to depress the iron sulphidic minerals when subjected to froth flotation, and
- (c) subjecting said aqueous slurry containing said depressant agent to froth flotation to obtain a predominantly non-ferrous sulphidic mineral-containing froth and a tailing containing said iron sulphidic minerals.
A process for the mineral separation of polymetallic sulphidic minerals including firstly, at least one of a first group consisting of:
- copper sulphide, chalcopyrite, copper-nickel sulphide, copper-nickel bulk sulphides, copper-zinc sulphide, copper-lead-zinc sulphide, pentlandite, and secondly, at least one of a second group consisting of pyrrhotite, pyrite and marcasite, comprising the steps of:
- (a) grinding said polymetallic sulphidic minerals and forming an aqueous slurry of the resulting ground polymetallic sulphidic minerals;
- (b) subjecting the aqueous slurry of said ground polymetallic sulphidic minerals to a conditioning treatment;
- (c) adding to the resultant conditioned slurry of said polymetallic sulphidic minerals in predetermined amounts a collecting agent for said at least one of the first group a frothing agent and a depressant agent for said at least one of the second group, said depressant agent having been produced by first chemically reacting a causticized cationic starch with a cross-linking agent selected from the group consisting of:
- carbon disulphide, aminoacetonitrile and diethylenetriamine, thereafter chemically combining the resultant cross-linked causticized cationic starch with a polyacrylate, and lastly chemically reacting the resultant cross-linked causticized cationic starch-polyacrylate with lignin sulphonate;
- and
- (d) subjecting the slurry of step (c) to froth flotation to obtain a froth containing at least one of the first group consisting of:
- copper sulphide, chalcopyrite, copper-nickel sulphide, copper-nickel bulk sulphides, copper-zinc sulphide, copper-lead-zinc sulphide, and pentlandite, and a tailing containing at least one of the second group consisting of pyrrhotite, pyrite and marcasite.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.