Method for achieving enhanced copper-containing mineral concentrate grade by oxidation and flotation
AssigneeCyprus Mineral Company
InventorRichard O. Huch
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Abstract
The present invention involves a method for separating a first copper-containing mineral from a second copper-containing mineral using froth flotation where one of the minerals has a more readily oxidizable surface than the other. Prior to flotation, a slurry containing the copper-containing minerals is oxidized and conditioned to achieve an effective pH. Thereafter, the slurry is subjected to a froth flotation process by which a first copper-containing mineral, such as chalcocite, and a second copper-containing mineral, such as enargite, are recovered.
Claims20
A method for concentrating enargite from a slurry containing enargite and chalcocite, said method comprising:
- (a) conditioning the slurry with an effective amount of an oxidizing agent to depress said chalcocite;
- and
- (b) subjecting the slurry to a froth flotation process to float an enargite concentrate from said slurry, resulting in an enargite concentrate as a flotation product separate from a chalcocite concentrate as an underflow product.
A method for recovering chalcocite from a slurry containing chalcocite and enargite, said method comprising:
- (a) conditioning the slurry with an effective amount of an oxidizing agent to depress the enargite, said oxidizing agent is selected from the group consisting of peroxide, persulfate and ozone;
- and
- (b) subjecting the oxidized slurry to a froth flotation process to float enargite from said slurry to create a floated enargite concentrate and an underflow chalcocite concentrate.
A method for concentration enargite and chalcocite from a slurry which contains both, said method comprising:
- (a) conditioning the slurry with a sufficient amount of peroxide to achieve an oxidation reduction potential greater than 0 millivolts and to depress said chalcocite, said conditioning of said slurry to last for a time greater than about 1 minute;
- and
- (b) subjecting said slurry to a froth flotation process wherein a copper collector is added to said slurry to float an enargite concentrate from an underflow chalcocite concentrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.