CA1265876A - Method of recovering copper and zinc concentrates from complex sulfide ores by differential flotation - Google Patents
Method of recovering copper and zinc concentrates from complex sulfide ores by differential flotationInfo
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- CA1265876A CA1265876A CA000478781A CA478781A CA1265876A CA 1265876 A CA1265876 A CA 1265876A CA 000478781 A CA000478781 A CA 000478781A CA 478781 A CA478781 A CA 478781A CA 1265876 A CA1265876 A CA 1265876A
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- copper
- flotation
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- sulfide
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Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
The invention envolves a method of recovering coopre and zinc concentrates separately from complex sulfide ores containing sulfides of copper, zinc, iron and other minerals by differential flotation. The method comprises adjusting to 45 - 80 wt% the concentration of solids in a mineral pulp composed of water and as-ground feed ores or a mineral pulp of the bulk concentrate of copper and zinc sulfide ores that has been obtained as a froth in the bulk differential flotation of the copper and zinc minerals present in the first mineral pulp;
conditioning either mineral pulp in the presence of sodium sulfide in an amount of 0.2 - 3 kg per ton of the ore;
further conditioning the mineral pulp in the presence of zinc sulfate in an amount 1.5 - 3.5 times the weight of the sodium sulfide and 1.5 - 10 kg of sulfur dioxide per ton of the ore, while blowing 50 - 200 m3 of air per ton of the ore; and subsequently adding collectors, frothers and any other flotation reagents so as to separately recover copper and zinc concentrates by flotation.
The copper and zinc concentrates obtained by this method are high not only in their grade but also in their recovery.
The invention envolves a method of recovering coopre and zinc concentrates separately from complex sulfide ores containing sulfides of copper, zinc, iron and other minerals by differential flotation. The method comprises adjusting to 45 - 80 wt% the concentration of solids in a mineral pulp composed of water and as-ground feed ores or a mineral pulp of the bulk concentrate of copper and zinc sulfide ores that has been obtained as a froth in the bulk differential flotation of the copper and zinc minerals present in the first mineral pulp;
conditioning either mineral pulp in the presence of sodium sulfide in an amount of 0.2 - 3 kg per ton of the ore;
further conditioning the mineral pulp in the presence of zinc sulfate in an amount 1.5 - 3.5 times the weight of the sodium sulfide and 1.5 - 10 kg of sulfur dioxide per ton of the ore, while blowing 50 - 200 m3 of air per ton of the ore; and subsequently adding collectors, frothers and any other flotation reagents so as to separately recover copper and zinc concentrates by flotation.
The copper and zinc concentrates obtained by this method are high not only in their grade but also in their recovery.
Description
7 ~
METHOD OF RECOVERIMG COPPER AND ZrNC CONCENTRATES
FRO~ COMPLEX SULFIDE ORES BY DIFFERENTIAL FLOTATION
The present invention relates to a method of recovering copper and zinc concentrates separately from complex sulfide ores containing sulfides of copper, zinc, iron and other minerals by differential flotation. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved differential flotation technique wherein copper sulfide minerals are caused to float while selectively depress-in~ ~inc sulfide mineeals and iron sulfide minerals.
BRIEF DESCRI~'TION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a flowsheet for the process of benefici-ation of complex sulfide ores by flotation in accordance with the prior art technique;
Fig. 2 is a flowsheet for the beneficiation of complex sulfide ores by flotation in accordance with one embodiment of the method of the present invention; and Fig. 3 is a flowsheet for the beneficiation of complex sulfide ores by flotation in accordance with another embodiment of the method of the present invention.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known to use the differential flotation method for recovering copper and zinc concentrates separately from complex sulfide ores containing sulfides of copper, zinc, iron and other minerals~ In the differential flotation method, copper sul~ide minerals in the complex sulfide ores are caused to float whereas '.~ - 1 -~ 7~
zinc sul~ide and iron sulfide minerals are selectively depressed. Two techniques are conventionally used to realize the di~erential flotation method; in one techni-que, the minerals pulp is conditioned with lime or other oH conditioners and subsequently treated with sodium cyanide and zinc sul~ate, and the other technique which is shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 15310/1962 is characterized by using sodium sulEide and sulfur dioxide in combination.
The first technique using sodium cyanide and zinc sulfate does not achieve high efficiency in the selective depression of zinc sulfide and iron sulfide minerals, and is practically inefEective if the complex sulfide ore to be dressed contains secondary copper minerals such as bornite and chalcocite. The second technique using sodium sulfide and sulfur dioxide in combination depresses zinc sulfide and iron sulfide minerals by the same degree, and in the subsequent step oE zinc activation, part of the iron sulfide minerals is also activated to produce a zinc concentrate of low grade. In order to avoid this problem, the second technique is conventionally performed by the procedure shown in the flowsheet of Fig~ 1. The ground ore is stripped of gangue minerals by bulk flotation, and the iron sulfide in the resulting bulk copper-zinc concentrate is removed prior to separating copper from zinc. The results oE ~lotation performed in this conventional method are summarized in Table 1.
-- 2 ~
i5~7~
o u~ ~ U~ ~ ~ ~ ~r ~
~o o a~ co co ~ co o C: ........
o ~ o CO ~ ~ o ~ U~
r~ ~ O ~ ~D
o ~ ~ I~ ~ ~ oo ~ ~r dP O Lr) a~ o ~ ~ a~
~n ........
o U~
C~
o o~ oIn 1 ~ ~r ~ ~ o ~ . .. ~ . . .. .
~ u~ ~ o~r ~~ o o Tl~ ~ NLO
U~
U~
0~ O ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ C~
~O ~ CO ~O ~ ~ ~ ~ O
~ ........ .
o ~ o o . . . . . . . .
~rl d~ O ~ ~ ~ O ~ ~D ~r co a~ o ~ ~) ~I
_ a ~I r~ al O ~ C~ = = O
., a) oa) o O a~
o h ~)4~ ~
M
O~r~Orl ~
tl) r~ rl Orl O ~ HC~
S~6 As the data in Table 1 reveal, even if the froth obtained in the copper-zinc roughing flotation is ade~uately cleaned prior -to Cu-Zn separation as shown in Fig. 1, sinks with high proportions of valuable consti-tuents are removed as tailings from the Cu-Zn cleaning.
Since these tailings have high distributions of copper and zinc, the process depicted in Fig. 1 suffers an appreciable loss in the amount of minerals recoverable.
SU~MARY OF TH~ INVENTION
The principal object of the present invention is to eliminate the problems shown above and provide a `~eneficiation method capable of effective recovery of separate co-æper and zinc concentrales from complex sulfide ores containing secondary copper minerals such as bornite and chalcocite. In`the method of the present invention, iron sulfide minerals are depressed by a greater degree than zinc minerals so that in the subse~uent step of zinc activation only the zinc minerals are activated while the iron sulfide minerals are not readily activated.
By so doing, the need to incorporate the step of reducing the content of iron sulfide minerals in the bulk copper-zinc concentrate prior to copper-zinc separation is eliminated.
As a consequence, the overall process of beneficiation is simplified while, at the same time, the loss of valuable copper and zinc components is held to a minimum and t~e ~5~
grade of the zinc concentrate obtained in the subsequent step is appreciably increased.
The stated object of the present invention can be achieved by a method of recovering copper and zinc concentrates separately from complex sulfide ores containing sulfides of copper, zinc, iron and other minerals by difEerential flotation, ~aid method com-prising adjusting to 45 - 80 wt% the pulp density in a mineral pulp composed of water and as-ground feed ores or a mineral pulp of the bulk concentrate of copper and zinc sulfide minerals obtained as a froth in the bulk diEferential flotation of the copper and zinc minerals present in the first mineral pulp; conditioning either mineral pulp in the presence of sodium sulfide in an amount of 0.2 - 3 kg per ton of the ore; further conditioning the mineral pulp in the presence of zinc sulfate in an amount 1.5 - 3.5 times the weight of the sodium sulfide and 1.5 - 10 kg of sulfur dioxide per ton of the ore, while blowing at least 50 m3 of air per ton oE the ore; and subsequently adding collectors, frothers and any other flotation reagents so as to ~j5~ 7~i separately recover copper and %inc concentrates by ~lotation .
DE_AILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION____ _ ____ ___ _ _ _ The method of the present invention may be directly applied to ground complex sulfide ores contain-ing sulfides of copper, zinc, iron and other minerals.
The copper sulfide mineral is obtained as a froth whereas the ~inc sulfide mineral, iron sulfide mineral and gangue minerals remain in the pulp as a sink. The froth and the sink are respectively cleaned to recover copper and zinc concentrates. Alternatively, the ground ore feed is first subjected to bulk differential flotation wherein the gangue minerals are discarded as a sink and the copper and ~inc minerals and part of iron sulfide minerals is recovered as a froth and subsequently treated by the method of the present invention.
For the purpose of the present invention, it is necessary that a mineral pulp of the as-ground feed ores or a mineral pulp of the bulk concentrate obtained by subject-ing the ~irst mineral pulp to bulk differential flotation be adjusted to have a pulp density of 45 - 80 wt~. If the pulp density in either mineral pulp is less than 45 wt~, "~
S~37~
the reagents used in the subsequent conditioning step are unable -to exhibit their intended effects. If, on the other hand, the pulp density is more than 80 w-t%, the pulp is unable to maintain -the normal suspension of mineral particles during the conditioning s-tages.
The amount of sodium sulfide that should be added in the first conditioning step varies with the mineralogical composition of the ore feed and the dgree of oxidation of the ore. The higher the proportion of secondary copper minerals such as bornite and the greater the extent of oxidation of the feed ore, the greater the amount of sodium sulfide which should be added, i.e., 0.2 - 3 kg per ton of the ore.
After the addition of sodium sulfide, the pulp is conditioned for at least 5 minutes so as to achieve satisfactory contact with the mineral particles.
~inc sulfate is then added in an amount 1.5 to 3.5 -times the weight of the previously added sodium sulfide.
If the amount of zinc sulfate added is less than ~.5 times the wei~ht of sodium sulfide, the zinc sulfide mineral is not effectively depressed, and no corresponding increase in the depressing effect is achieved even if more than 3.5 times the weight of sodium sulfide of zinc sulfate is used.
Sulfur dioxide is added simultaneously with zinc sulfate.
~ 7~;
The sulfuI div~ide may be added irl the gaseouC
st~te or in the state of aqueous solution. ~he ~nount of the sulfur dio~ide to be added varies with the ~ineralogical composition of the ore feed and otheI factors, but it should be added in an amount ranging from 1.5 to 10 kg per ton of the ore. If less than 1.5 kg of sulfur dioY~ide is added, the zinc sulfide mineral cannot be effectively depressed and if more than 10 kg of sulfur dioxide is added, not only the zinc sulfide mineral but also the copper sulfide mineral is depressed. ~he second conditioning step must be carried out under air blowing. ~he amount of air to be blown varies with the amounts of sodium sulfide and zinc sulfate used, but at least 50 m3 of air must be blown per ton of the ore. Blowing more than 200 m~ of air does not yield a commensurate improvement in the effe-ct of condi-tioning the pulp. ~he duration of the conditioning step is governed by the volume of air being blown and must be long enough to ensure the supply of the necessary volume of air.
After conditioning the mineral pulp under air blowing, conventional flotation reagents such as pH
modifiers, collectors and frothers are added so as to perform differential flotation wherein the copper sulfide mineral is caused to float while depressing the zinc sulfide and iron sulfide minerals. Both the froth and sink are sub~ected to scavenging flotation, cle~ling lotation and any other necessary treatments, so as to recover the desired copper and zinc concentrates.
The present invention is hereunder descri~ed in greater detail by re~erence to the following ex~lples which are given here for illustrative purposes only and are by no means intended to limit the scope of the invention.
Example 1 A sample of the complex sulfide ores taken at mine A, Canada having the chemical assays listed below was processed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention by the procedure shown in the flowsheet in Fig. 2.
Ore composiion (wt%):
Cu Zn Pb S ~e SiO2 A1203 CaO MgO
1.66 2.23 0.06 31.26 27.21 12.8 3.75 1.78 3.85 About half of the copper present in the ore is comprised of bornite and chalcocite and it is ~mpossible to depress the zinc minerals by a conventional differential ~lotation technique using sodium cyanide and zinc sulfate.
rthermore, as already shown in ~able 1, another convention-al techni~ue using sodium sulfide and sulfur dioxide produces a copper concentrate (23.42% Cu) at a recovery-of 52.57%
and a zinc concentrate (50.35% Zn) at a recovery of 62.76%.
~herefore, the recoveries of copper and zinc and the grade :
7~
of the fin~l zinc concentrate are very lo~J. l~s i5 su~ested by -these dat~, the comple~ sulfi~e ores having the composition shown above have been considered fairly difficult to dress in cor~mercial operation.
In this EY~ample, the sample ore was treated il~mediately by the differential flotation method. ~irst, the ore was subjected to the primary grinding step wherein it was wet-ground in a ball mill to -44 ~m 93%. The ground ore was concentrated to produce a mineral pulp having a pulp density of 60 wt%. The pulp was miY~ ed with 0.65 k~
of sodium sulfide per ton of the ore and conditioned for 10 minutes. The pulp was conditioned for another 10 minutes under air blowing (10 m3/min. t) while 1.1 kg of zinc sulfate (about 1.7 times the weight of the sodium sulfide) per ton of the ore and an aqueous solution of 4.2 kg of sulfur dioxide per ton of the ore were added. Thereafter, the pulp was adjusted to a pH of 6.5 with slaked lime and subjected to copper flotation for 20 minutes in the presence of a collector (ethylisopropyl thionocarbamate available from The Dow Chemical Company, U.S.A. under the trademark Z-200) and a frother (methylisobutylcarbinol which is hereunder referred to as MIBC). The froth was subjected to the secondary grinding and cleaned to produce a copper concentrate. The sink in the copper flotation and part of the sink in the cleaning flotation were treated _ 10 -:
.~
lZ~513~
with copper sulfate in order to activate and float the zinc minerals. The froth was cleane~ to produce a zinc concentrate, and the sink was discarded as a tailing.
The results of the above beneficiation process are summari2ed in Table 2.
Table 2 Weight Assays Distribution Product % Cu, % Zn, % Cu, % Zn, %
Ore 100.00 1.66 2.23 100.00 100.00 Cu concentrate 5.53 24.76 5.74 82.71 14.22 Cu mlddlings0.24 3.27 4.65 0.47 0.50 zn concentrate 3.03 1.76 ~6.84 3.27 78.43 2n miadlings3~98 1.59 1.62 3.82 2.89 Tailings 87.17 0.18 0.10 9.73 3.96 As l'able 2 shows, the method of the present invention pèrformed in accordance with the flowsheet in Fig. 2 produced a copper concentrate having a Cll content of 24.76% and a Cu recovery of 82.71%, as well as a zinc concentrate having a Zn content of 56.~4~ and a Zn recovery of 78.43%.
In comparison with the data shown in Table 1 that were obtained by the process outlined in the flowsheet of Fig. 1, the method of the present invention produced Cu and Zn concentrates of higher grade, with an appreciable increase in their recovery.
~ 1.1 -~ .
~ ~5 ~'7 Example 2 A sample of the complex sulfide ores taken at mine A, Cc~lada having substantially the s~me chemical ass~ys as shown in Example 1 was first subjected to the primary grinding, wherein i-t was wet-ground to -74 ~m 75%.
After pH adjustment to 12 with slaked lime, the ground ore was subjected to differential flotation in the presence of a collector (ethylisopropyl thionocarbamate) and a frother ~MI~3C). The bulk concentrate made of the copper and zinc s~l~ide minerals and part of the iron sulfide mineral was recovered as a ~roth, whereas the remaining iron sulfide and gangue minerals were discarded as a sink. The bulk concentrate was subsequentl-~ treated by the method of the present invention outlind in the flowsheet in ~ig. 3.
The bulk concentrate was subjected to the secondary grinding step wherein it was ground to -44 ~m 80%~ and the ground concentrate was thickened to form a mineral pulp having a pulp density of 60 wt% The pulp was mixed with 1.0 kg of sodium sulfide per ton of the bulk concentrate ~d the mi~ture was conditioned for 10 minutes. ~he pulp was conditioned for an additional 10 minutes under air blowing (10 m3/min. t) while 1.7 kg of zinc sulfate (1.7 times the weight of the sodium sulfide) per ton of the bulk concentrate and an aqueous solution of 5.8 kg of sulfur dioxide per ton of the bulk concentrate were _ ~2 -ILZ~S87bi added After adjustment to a pH of 6.5 with slaked lime, the pulp was subjected to copper flotation for 20 minutes in the presence of a collector (z-200) and a frother (~lIBC). The froth was subjected to the tertiary grinding and cleaned to obtain a copper concentrate.
The sink in the copper flotation and part of the sink in the cleanin~ flotation were treated with cop~er sulfate to activate and float the zinc minerals, which were cleaned to produce a zinc concentrate. The sink was comprised of an iron sulfide concentrate.
The results of the beneficiation so performed are summarized in Table 3.
Ta.ble 3 Weight Assays Distribution Product % Cu, ~ Zn, %Cu, %Zn, %
Ore 100.00 1.65 2.28100.00100.00 Cu concentrate 5.62 24.70 3.43 84.13 8.46 Cu middlings0.15 2.93 11.900~27 0.78 Zn concentrate 3.12 1.82 60.14 3.44 82.34 Zn middlings3.31 1.65 1.993.31 2.~9 Iron sulfide28.08 0.35 305.96 3.69 concentrate Tailings 59.72 Ø08 0.072.89 1.84 As the data in Table 3 show, the ~etho~ of benefi-ciation in accordance with the flowsheet in Fig. 3 produced a copper concentrate having a Cu content oI 24.70% and a Cu recovery of about ~4%, as well as a zinc concentra-te having a ~n content of 60.14% and a ~n recovery of abou-t 82.~4%.
In comparison wi-th the results shown in ~able 1 -that were obtained by the conventional techni~ue outlined in Fig. 1, the method of the present invention produced copper and ~inc concentrates of higher grade, with a signiicant increase in their recoveries.
As wiIl be apparent from the foregoing description the present invention provides a significant improvement in the beneficiation of complex sulfide ores and offers great economical advan-tages in that it produces copper and ~inc concentrates of higher grades and achieves an appreriable increase in the recoveries of the respective minerals.
METHOD OF RECOVERIMG COPPER AND ZrNC CONCENTRATES
FRO~ COMPLEX SULFIDE ORES BY DIFFERENTIAL FLOTATION
The present invention relates to a method of recovering copper and zinc concentrates separately from complex sulfide ores containing sulfides of copper, zinc, iron and other minerals by differential flotation. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved differential flotation technique wherein copper sulfide minerals are caused to float while selectively depress-in~ ~inc sulfide mineeals and iron sulfide minerals.
BRIEF DESCRI~'TION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a flowsheet for the process of benefici-ation of complex sulfide ores by flotation in accordance with the prior art technique;
Fig. 2 is a flowsheet for the beneficiation of complex sulfide ores by flotation in accordance with one embodiment of the method of the present invention; and Fig. 3 is a flowsheet for the beneficiation of complex sulfide ores by flotation in accordance with another embodiment of the method of the present invention.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known to use the differential flotation method for recovering copper and zinc concentrates separately from complex sulfide ores containing sulfides of copper, zinc, iron and other minerals~ In the differential flotation method, copper sul~ide minerals in the complex sulfide ores are caused to float whereas '.~ - 1 -~ 7~
zinc sul~ide and iron sulfide minerals are selectively depressed. Two techniques are conventionally used to realize the di~erential flotation method; in one techni-que, the minerals pulp is conditioned with lime or other oH conditioners and subsequently treated with sodium cyanide and zinc sul~ate, and the other technique which is shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 15310/1962 is characterized by using sodium sulEide and sulfur dioxide in combination.
The first technique using sodium cyanide and zinc sulfate does not achieve high efficiency in the selective depression of zinc sulfide and iron sulfide minerals, and is practically inefEective if the complex sulfide ore to be dressed contains secondary copper minerals such as bornite and chalcocite. The second technique using sodium sulfide and sulfur dioxide in combination depresses zinc sulfide and iron sulfide minerals by the same degree, and in the subsequent step oE zinc activation, part of the iron sulfide minerals is also activated to produce a zinc concentrate of low grade. In order to avoid this problem, the second technique is conventionally performed by the procedure shown in the flowsheet of Fig~ 1. The ground ore is stripped of gangue minerals by bulk flotation, and the iron sulfide in the resulting bulk copper-zinc concentrate is removed prior to separating copper from zinc. The results oE ~lotation performed in this conventional method are summarized in Table 1.
-- 2 ~
i5~7~
o u~ ~ U~ ~ ~ ~ ~r ~
~o o a~ co co ~ co o C: ........
o ~ o CO ~ ~ o ~ U~
r~ ~ O ~ ~D
o ~ ~ I~ ~ ~ oo ~ ~r dP O Lr) a~ o ~ ~ a~
~n ........
o U~
C~
o o~ oIn 1 ~ ~r ~ ~ o ~ . .. ~ . . .. .
~ u~ ~ o~r ~~ o o Tl~ ~ NLO
U~
U~
0~ O ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ C~
~O ~ CO ~O ~ ~ ~ ~ O
~ ........ .
o ~ o o . . . . . . . .
~rl d~ O ~ ~ ~ O ~ ~D ~r co a~ o ~ ~) ~I
_ a ~I r~ al O ~ C~ = = O
., a) oa) o O a~
o h ~)4~ ~
M
O~r~Orl ~
tl) r~ rl Orl O ~ HC~
S~6 As the data in Table 1 reveal, even if the froth obtained in the copper-zinc roughing flotation is ade~uately cleaned prior -to Cu-Zn separation as shown in Fig. 1, sinks with high proportions of valuable consti-tuents are removed as tailings from the Cu-Zn cleaning.
Since these tailings have high distributions of copper and zinc, the process depicted in Fig. 1 suffers an appreciable loss in the amount of minerals recoverable.
SU~MARY OF TH~ INVENTION
The principal object of the present invention is to eliminate the problems shown above and provide a `~eneficiation method capable of effective recovery of separate co-æper and zinc concentrales from complex sulfide ores containing secondary copper minerals such as bornite and chalcocite. In`the method of the present invention, iron sulfide minerals are depressed by a greater degree than zinc minerals so that in the subse~uent step of zinc activation only the zinc minerals are activated while the iron sulfide minerals are not readily activated.
By so doing, the need to incorporate the step of reducing the content of iron sulfide minerals in the bulk copper-zinc concentrate prior to copper-zinc separation is eliminated.
As a consequence, the overall process of beneficiation is simplified while, at the same time, the loss of valuable copper and zinc components is held to a minimum and t~e ~5~
grade of the zinc concentrate obtained in the subsequent step is appreciably increased.
The stated object of the present invention can be achieved by a method of recovering copper and zinc concentrates separately from complex sulfide ores containing sulfides of copper, zinc, iron and other minerals by difEerential flotation, ~aid method com-prising adjusting to 45 - 80 wt% the pulp density in a mineral pulp composed of water and as-ground feed ores or a mineral pulp of the bulk concentrate of copper and zinc sulfide minerals obtained as a froth in the bulk diEferential flotation of the copper and zinc minerals present in the first mineral pulp; conditioning either mineral pulp in the presence of sodium sulfide in an amount of 0.2 - 3 kg per ton of the ore; further conditioning the mineral pulp in the presence of zinc sulfate in an amount 1.5 - 3.5 times the weight of the sodium sulfide and 1.5 - 10 kg of sulfur dioxide per ton of the ore, while blowing at least 50 m3 of air per ton oE the ore; and subsequently adding collectors, frothers and any other flotation reagents so as to ~j5~ 7~i separately recover copper and %inc concentrates by ~lotation .
DE_AILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION____ _ ____ ___ _ _ _ The method of the present invention may be directly applied to ground complex sulfide ores contain-ing sulfides of copper, zinc, iron and other minerals.
The copper sulfide mineral is obtained as a froth whereas the ~inc sulfide mineral, iron sulfide mineral and gangue minerals remain in the pulp as a sink. The froth and the sink are respectively cleaned to recover copper and zinc concentrates. Alternatively, the ground ore feed is first subjected to bulk differential flotation wherein the gangue minerals are discarded as a sink and the copper and ~inc minerals and part of iron sulfide minerals is recovered as a froth and subsequently treated by the method of the present invention.
For the purpose of the present invention, it is necessary that a mineral pulp of the as-ground feed ores or a mineral pulp of the bulk concentrate obtained by subject-ing the ~irst mineral pulp to bulk differential flotation be adjusted to have a pulp density of 45 - 80 wt~. If the pulp density in either mineral pulp is less than 45 wt~, "~
S~37~
the reagents used in the subsequent conditioning step are unable -to exhibit their intended effects. If, on the other hand, the pulp density is more than 80 w-t%, the pulp is unable to maintain -the normal suspension of mineral particles during the conditioning s-tages.
The amount of sodium sulfide that should be added in the first conditioning step varies with the mineralogical composition of the ore feed and the dgree of oxidation of the ore. The higher the proportion of secondary copper minerals such as bornite and the greater the extent of oxidation of the feed ore, the greater the amount of sodium sulfide which should be added, i.e., 0.2 - 3 kg per ton of the ore.
After the addition of sodium sulfide, the pulp is conditioned for at least 5 minutes so as to achieve satisfactory contact with the mineral particles.
~inc sulfate is then added in an amount 1.5 to 3.5 -times the weight of the previously added sodium sulfide.
If the amount of zinc sulfate added is less than ~.5 times the wei~ht of sodium sulfide, the zinc sulfide mineral is not effectively depressed, and no corresponding increase in the depressing effect is achieved even if more than 3.5 times the weight of sodium sulfide of zinc sulfate is used.
Sulfur dioxide is added simultaneously with zinc sulfate.
~ 7~;
The sulfuI div~ide may be added irl the gaseouC
st~te or in the state of aqueous solution. ~he ~nount of the sulfur dio~ide to be added varies with the ~ineralogical composition of the ore feed and otheI factors, but it should be added in an amount ranging from 1.5 to 10 kg per ton of the ore. If less than 1.5 kg of sulfur dioY~ide is added, the zinc sulfide mineral cannot be effectively depressed and if more than 10 kg of sulfur dioxide is added, not only the zinc sulfide mineral but also the copper sulfide mineral is depressed. ~he second conditioning step must be carried out under air blowing. ~he amount of air to be blown varies with the amounts of sodium sulfide and zinc sulfate used, but at least 50 m3 of air must be blown per ton of the ore. Blowing more than 200 m~ of air does not yield a commensurate improvement in the effe-ct of condi-tioning the pulp. ~he duration of the conditioning step is governed by the volume of air being blown and must be long enough to ensure the supply of the necessary volume of air.
After conditioning the mineral pulp under air blowing, conventional flotation reagents such as pH
modifiers, collectors and frothers are added so as to perform differential flotation wherein the copper sulfide mineral is caused to float while depressing the zinc sulfide and iron sulfide minerals. Both the froth and sink are sub~ected to scavenging flotation, cle~ling lotation and any other necessary treatments, so as to recover the desired copper and zinc concentrates.
The present invention is hereunder descri~ed in greater detail by re~erence to the following ex~lples which are given here for illustrative purposes only and are by no means intended to limit the scope of the invention.
Example 1 A sample of the complex sulfide ores taken at mine A, Canada having the chemical assays listed below was processed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention by the procedure shown in the flowsheet in Fig. 2.
Ore composiion (wt%):
Cu Zn Pb S ~e SiO2 A1203 CaO MgO
1.66 2.23 0.06 31.26 27.21 12.8 3.75 1.78 3.85 About half of the copper present in the ore is comprised of bornite and chalcocite and it is ~mpossible to depress the zinc minerals by a conventional differential ~lotation technique using sodium cyanide and zinc sulfate.
rthermore, as already shown in ~able 1, another convention-al techni~ue using sodium sulfide and sulfur dioxide produces a copper concentrate (23.42% Cu) at a recovery-of 52.57%
and a zinc concentrate (50.35% Zn) at a recovery of 62.76%.
~herefore, the recoveries of copper and zinc and the grade :
7~
of the fin~l zinc concentrate are very lo~J. l~s i5 su~ested by -these dat~, the comple~ sulfi~e ores having the composition shown above have been considered fairly difficult to dress in cor~mercial operation.
In this EY~ample, the sample ore was treated il~mediately by the differential flotation method. ~irst, the ore was subjected to the primary grinding step wherein it was wet-ground in a ball mill to -44 ~m 93%. The ground ore was concentrated to produce a mineral pulp having a pulp density of 60 wt%. The pulp was miY~ ed with 0.65 k~
of sodium sulfide per ton of the ore and conditioned for 10 minutes. The pulp was conditioned for another 10 minutes under air blowing (10 m3/min. t) while 1.1 kg of zinc sulfate (about 1.7 times the weight of the sodium sulfide) per ton of the ore and an aqueous solution of 4.2 kg of sulfur dioxide per ton of the ore were added. Thereafter, the pulp was adjusted to a pH of 6.5 with slaked lime and subjected to copper flotation for 20 minutes in the presence of a collector (ethylisopropyl thionocarbamate available from The Dow Chemical Company, U.S.A. under the trademark Z-200) and a frother (methylisobutylcarbinol which is hereunder referred to as MIBC). The froth was subjected to the secondary grinding and cleaned to produce a copper concentrate. The sink in the copper flotation and part of the sink in the cleaning flotation were treated _ 10 -:
.~
lZ~513~
with copper sulfate in order to activate and float the zinc minerals. The froth was cleane~ to produce a zinc concentrate, and the sink was discarded as a tailing.
The results of the above beneficiation process are summari2ed in Table 2.
Table 2 Weight Assays Distribution Product % Cu, % Zn, % Cu, % Zn, %
Ore 100.00 1.66 2.23 100.00 100.00 Cu concentrate 5.53 24.76 5.74 82.71 14.22 Cu mlddlings0.24 3.27 4.65 0.47 0.50 zn concentrate 3.03 1.76 ~6.84 3.27 78.43 2n miadlings3~98 1.59 1.62 3.82 2.89 Tailings 87.17 0.18 0.10 9.73 3.96 As l'able 2 shows, the method of the present invention pèrformed in accordance with the flowsheet in Fig. 2 produced a copper concentrate having a Cll content of 24.76% and a Cu recovery of 82.71%, as well as a zinc concentrate having a Zn content of 56.~4~ and a Zn recovery of 78.43%.
In comparison with the data shown in Table 1 that were obtained by the process outlined in the flowsheet of Fig. 1, the method of the present invention produced Cu and Zn concentrates of higher grade, with an appreciable increase in their recovery.
~ 1.1 -~ .
~ ~5 ~'7 Example 2 A sample of the complex sulfide ores taken at mine A, Cc~lada having substantially the s~me chemical ass~ys as shown in Example 1 was first subjected to the primary grinding, wherein i-t was wet-ground to -74 ~m 75%.
After pH adjustment to 12 with slaked lime, the ground ore was subjected to differential flotation in the presence of a collector (ethylisopropyl thionocarbamate) and a frother ~MI~3C). The bulk concentrate made of the copper and zinc s~l~ide minerals and part of the iron sulfide mineral was recovered as a ~roth, whereas the remaining iron sulfide and gangue minerals were discarded as a sink. The bulk concentrate was subsequentl-~ treated by the method of the present invention outlind in the flowsheet in ~ig. 3.
The bulk concentrate was subjected to the secondary grinding step wherein it was ground to -44 ~m 80%~ and the ground concentrate was thickened to form a mineral pulp having a pulp density of 60 wt% The pulp was mixed with 1.0 kg of sodium sulfide per ton of the bulk concentrate ~d the mi~ture was conditioned for 10 minutes. ~he pulp was conditioned for an additional 10 minutes under air blowing (10 m3/min. t) while 1.7 kg of zinc sulfate (1.7 times the weight of the sodium sulfide) per ton of the bulk concentrate and an aqueous solution of 5.8 kg of sulfur dioxide per ton of the bulk concentrate were _ ~2 -ILZ~S87bi added After adjustment to a pH of 6.5 with slaked lime, the pulp was subjected to copper flotation for 20 minutes in the presence of a collector (z-200) and a frother (~lIBC). The froth was subjected to the tertiary grinding and cleaned to obtain a copper concentrate.
The sink in the copper flotation and part of the sink in the cleanin~ flotation were treated with cop~er sulfate to activate and float the zinc minerals, which were cleaned to produce a zinc concentrate. The sink was comprised of an iron sulfide concentrate.
The results of the beneficiation so performed are summarized in Table 3.
Ta.ble 3 Weight Assays Distribution Product % Cu, ~ Zn, %Cu, %Zn, %
Ore 100.00 1.65 2.28100.00100.00 Cu concentrate 5.62 24.70 3.43 84.13 8.46 Cu middlings0.15 2.93 11.900~27 0.78 Zn concentrate 3.12 1.82 60.14 3.44 82.34 Zn middlings3.31 1.65 1.993.31 2.~9 Iron sulfide28.08 0.35 305.96 3.69 concentrate Tailings 59.72 Ø08 0.072.89 1.84 As the data in Table 3 show, the ~etho~ of benefi-ciation in accordance with the flowsheet in Fig. 3 produced a copper concentrate having a Cu content oI 24.70% and a Cu recovery of about ~4%, as well as a zinc concentra-te having a ~n content of 60.14% and a ~n recovery of abou-t 82.~4%.
In comparison wi-th the results shown in ~able 1 -that were obtained by the conventional techni~ue outlined in Fig. 1, the method of the present invention produced copper and ~inc concentrates of higher grade, with a signiicant increase in their recoveries.
As wiIl be apparent from the foregoing description the present invention provides a significant improvement in the beneficiation of complex sulfide ores and offers great economical advan-tages in that it produces copper and ~inc concentrates of higher grades and achieves an appreriable increase in the recoveries of the respective minerals.
Claims (5)
1. A method of recovering copper and zinc concentrates separately from complex sulfide ores containing sulfides of copper, zinc, iron and other minerals by differential flotation, said method comprises adjusting to 45 - 80 wt% the pulp density in a mineral pulp composed of water and as-ground feed ores or a mineral pulp of the bulk concentrate of copper and zinc sulfide ores that has been obtained as a froth in the bulk differential flotation of the copper and zinc minerals present in the first mineral pulp; conditioning either mineral pulp in the presence of sodium sulfide in an amount of 0.2 - 3 kg per ton of the ore; further condi-tioning the mineral pulp in the presence of zinc sulfate in an amount 1.5 - 3.5 times the weight of the sodium sulfide and 1.5 - 10 kg of sulfur dioxide per ton of the ore, while blowing at least 50 m3 of air per ton of the ore; and subsequently adding collectors, frothers and any other flotation reagents so as to separately recover copper and zinc concentrates by flotation.
2. The method according to Claim 1, wherein the first mentioned conditioning is effected for at least 5 minutes.
3. The method according to Claim 1, wherein the sulfur dioxide is added in the gaseous state.
4. The method according to Claim 1, wherein the sulfur dioxide is added in the state of aqueous solution.
5. The method according to Claim 1, wherein the second mentioned conditioning is carried out by blowing air in the amount of 50 to 200 m3 per ton of the ore.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP77247/59 | 1984-04-17 | ||
| JP7724784A JPS60220155A (en) | 1984-04-17 | 1984-04-17 | Differential flotation of complicated sulfide ore |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1265876A true CA1265876A (en) | 1990-02-13 |
Family
ID=13628525
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000478781A Expired CA1265876A (en) | 1984-04-17 | 1985-04-10 | Method of recovering copper and zinc concentrates from complex sulfide ores by differential flotation |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (1) | JPS60220155A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1265876A (en) |
Cited By (6)
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| CN103447154A (en) * | 2013-08-23 | 2013-12-18 | 西北矿冶研究院 | Beneficiation method for separating copper from lead and zinc by adopting liquid sulfur dioxide |
| CN103567075A (en) * | 2013-11-08 | 2014-02-12 | 昆明川金诺化工股份有限公司 | Method for concentrating sulfur with sodium fluorosilicate mother liquor as activator of pyrite |
| US8871162B2 (en) | 2011-04-20 | 2014-10-28 | Antonio M. Ostrea | Process of gold and copper recovery from mixed oxide—sulfide copper ores |
| US9346062B2 (en) | 2009-12-04 | 2016-05-24 | Barrick Gold Corporation | Separation of copper minerals from pyrite using air-metabisulfite treatment |
| US10005088B2 (en) * | 2016-01-22 | 2018-06-26 | Lakehead University | Flotation of sphalerite from mixed base metal sulfide ores either without or with largely reduced amount of copper sulfate addition using 2-(alkylamino)ethanethiols as collectors |
| CN111871617A (en) * | 2020-07-17 | 2020-11-03 | 广东省大宝山矿业有限公司 | Sorting method for removing zinc from sulfur concentrate and recycling zinc resource |
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| US6041941A (en) * | 1997-06-26 | 2000-03-28 | Boc Gases Australia Limited | Reagent consumption in mineral separation circuits |
| AUPO788297A0 (en) * | 1997-07-14 | 1997-08-07 | Boc Gases Australia Limited | Recovery of pgm bearing minerals |
| AUPO788497A0 (en) * | 1997-07-14 | 1997-08-07 | Boc Gases Australia Limited | Method of improving the effectiveness of sulphoxy compounds in flotation circuits |
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| CN104759353A (en) * | 2015-04-10 | 2015-07-08 | 铜陵有色金属集团股份有限公司 | Method for recycling copper minerals from high-sulfur rebellious copper ore step by step |
| CN105268559B (en) * | 2015-11-17 | 2017-07-25 | 紫金矿业集团股份有限公司 | The beneficiation method of low-grade copper sulfide ores |
| CN106734047A (en) * | 2015-11-25 | 2017-05-31 | 湖南恒光化工有限公司 | A kind of sulfuric acid iron ore slag method of comprehensive utilization |
| CN114653469A (en) * | 2022-03-22 | 2022-06-24 | 白银有色集团股份有限公司 | Re-concentration process for sulfur concentrate in complex multi-metal sulfide ore |
| CN116060214B (en) * | 2022-12-21 | 2023-07-21 | 昆明理工大学 | Multi-metal coupling activation flotation method for high-calcium siliceous zinc oxide ore |
-
1984
- 1984-04-17 JP JP7724784A patent/JPS60220155A/en active Granted
-
1985
- 1985-04-10 CA CA000478781A patent/CA1265876A/en not_active Expired
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| US9346062B2 (en) | 2009-12-04 | 2016-05-24 | Barrick Gold Corporation | Separation of copper minerals from pyrite using air-metabisulfite treatment |
| US10258996B2 (en) | 2009-12-04 | 2019-04-16 | Barrick Gold Corporation | Separation of copper minerals from pyrite using air-metabisulfite treatment |
| US8871162B2 (en) | 2011-04-20 | 2014-10-28 | Antonio M. Ostrea | Process of gold and copper recovery from mixed oxide—sulfide copper ores |
| CN103447154A (en) * | 2013-08-23 | 2013-12-18 | 西北矿冶研究院 | Beneficiation method for separating copper from lead and zinc by adopting liquid sulfur dioxide |
| CN103567075A (en) * | 2013-11-08 | 2014-02-12 | 昆明川金诺化工股份有限公司 | Method for concentrating sulfur with sodium fluorosilicate mother liquor as activator of pyrite |
| US10005088B2 (en) * | 2016-01-22 | 2018-06-26 | Lakehead University | Flotation of sphalerite from mixed base metal sulfide ores either without or with largely reduced amount of copper sulfate addition using 2-(alkylamino)ethanethiols as collectors |
| CN111871617A (en) * | 2020-07-17 | 2020-11-03 | 广东省大宝山矿业有限公司 | Sorting method for removing zinc from sulfur concentrate and recycling zinc resource |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| JPH0450065B2 (en) | 1992-08-13 |
| JPS60220155A (en) | 1985-11-02 |
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