US1370843A

US1370843A - Flotation of minerals

Info

Publication number: US1370843A
Application number: US393607A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ralph E Sayre
Original assignee: METALS RECOVERY CO
Current assignee: METALS RECOVERY Co
Priority date: 1920-07-02
Filing date: 1920-07-02
Publication date: 1921-03-08
Anticipated expiration: 1938-03-08

Description

PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR FLOTATION on MINERALS.

N 0 Drawing.

[0 all w/wm it may concern Be it known that I, RALPH E. Saran, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Flotation of Minerals, and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

tion of minerals,such as sulfid ores and the like, by flotation.

The invention is based upon the discovery that the flotation operation can, in many cases, be improved by the addition to the of a ketone condensation product. such as mesityl oxid, phorone, etc. Such ketone condensation products appear to have,little if any selective action in bringing about the flotation of the mineral, but they have marked frothing qualities and provide an appropriate amount of froth with an ore pulp containing a suitable selective or collecting agent but lacking in frothing qualities, or an ore pulp which requires no added selective agent but is lacking in frothing qualities. The ketone condensation product may thus be used to advantage with flotation agents which have marked selective or collecting properties but which are devoid of, or deficient in, frothing qualities.

he ketone condensation products can be made by condensing two or more molecules of a ketone, such as acetone, with splitting ofl of water. If an acid, such as hydrochloric acid, is employed as the condensing agent, the main condensation products are mesityl oxid, (CH .C:CH.CO.CH rone (CH .C CH.CO.CH C(CH and higher homologues'. With alkaline condensation products, acetone yields mesityl oxid and unsaturated cyclic ketones, such as isophorone. The mixtures obtained by both acid and alkali condensation of acetone have been found to possess great frothing power and to be well adapted for use in the process of the present invention. A convenient and economical method of manufacture of such condensation products is by heating acetone with calcium carbid. Other ketones. such as methylethylketone, likewise give condens'ation products upon suitable treatment Specification of Letters Patent.

vprior to the flotation operation.

Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

Anplication filed July 2, 1920. Serial No. 393,607.

with condensing agents. The condensation product of mcthylethylketone with hydrochloric acid has thus been found to have good frothing properties and well adapted for use in the process of the invention.

he ketone in any suitable manner Which Will insure its lorm incorporation and dissemination through the It may thus be incortatlon operation can be carried suitable apparatus, such as an ordinary (allow cell, or in apparatus where the air is incorporated in the ore pulp by mechanical agitation.

It is of advantage in many cases, as with certain copper ores, to. add to the ore pulp a small amount of alkali, which may be sufficient in amount to give to the ore a distinct alkaline reaction. When alkalis are used, itis give them an appreciable time of contact out in any cium oxid or hydrate can be used.

he amount of the ketone condensation product added can vary be as little as one-fifth or one-tenth of a pound per ton of ore (that is, calculated on the weight of the ore and not of the ore pulp). arger amounts may, however, be used, as well as even smaller amounts in some cases.

The invention will be further illustrated by the following specific examples of tests made upon a copper sulfid ore:

Ewnmfle Z.500 parts by weight of Utah Copper Companys ore was ground in a pebble mill with 250 parts of water, lime equivalent to four pounds per ton of dry ore, and thiocarbanilid equivalent to onerougher cell, diluted and floated after the addition of the liquid condensation product obtained by condensing acetone with calcium carbid,

somewhat, and mayprovide a selective or collecting agent to supplement the action of the ketone condensa- I tion product, which appears to be essentially that ofa frothing agent with but little selective or collecting properties. here, however, the ore pulp contains an appropriate selective or collecting agent, or inherently requires the addition of no. such agent but is deficient in frothing qualities, the addition of a ketone condensation prodnot, in a manner similar to that above described, imparts the desirable frothing qualities, and provides bubbles in suflicient quantity and of sufiicient peristency to overflow into the launder of the flotation ma chine thereby mechanically facilitating the removal of the mineral concentrate.

It will be evident that, where selective or collecting agents are required, different agents may be used having the desiredselective or collecting or mineral-modifying properties. Certain of these agents, such as thiocarbanilid and diazoaminobenzene, have very marked selective or collecting or mineral-modifying properties, but are substantially devoid of frothing qualities. The use .of a ketone condensation product, according to the present invention, is therefore of articular value in connection with the use of floation agents of this character. The present invention can, however, be carried out with the use of other flotation agents, which may have both selective or collecting and frothing ualities, but which are deficient in frothing qualities, and the requisite frothing properties can be imparted by the addition of the ketone condensation product, in a manner similar to that above described.

I claim:

1. The method of effecting the concentration of minerals by flotation, which comprises adding to the mineral .pulp a small amount of a ketone condensation product, and subjecting the resulting mixture to a flotation operation; substantially as described.

7 small amounts of an alkali, a

2. The method of eflecting the concentration of minerals by flotation, which comprises adding to the mineral pulpa small amount of a selective or collecting or mineral-modifying agent, deficient in frothing qualities, together with a small amount of a ketone condensation product, and subjecting the resulting mixture to a flotation operation; substantially as described.

3. The method of effecting the concentration of copper sulfid ores by flotation, which comprises adding to the, mineral pulp a small amount of an alkali and a small amount of a ketone condensation product, and subjecting the resulting mixture to a flotation operation; substantially as described.

4. The method of effecting the concentration of copper sulfid ores by flotation, which comprises adding to the mineral pulp a small amount of an alkali, a small amount of a flotation agent deficient in frothing properties, and a small amount of a ketone condensation product, and .subjecting the resulting mixture to a flotation operation; substantially as described.

5. The method of effecting the concentration of minerals by flotation, which comprises adding to the mineral pulp a small amount of an acetone condensation product, and subjecting the resulting mixture to a flotation operation; substantially as described.

6. The method of effecting the concentration of minerals by flotation, which comprises adding to the mineral pulp a small amount of a selective or collecting or mineral-modifying agent, deficient in frothing qualities, together with a small amount of an acetone condensation product, and subjecting the resulting'mixture to a flotation operation; substantially as described.

7 The method of effecting the concentration of copper sulfid ores by flotation, which comprises adding to the mineral pulp a small amount of an alkali and a small amount ofan acetone condensation product, and subjecting the resulting mixture to a flotation operation; substantially as described.

8. The method of effecting the concentration of copper sulfid ores by flotation, which comprises adding to the mineral pulp a small amount of a flotation agent deficient in frothing properties, and a small amount of an acetone condensation product, and subjecting the resulting mixture to a flotation operation; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

RALPH E. SAYRE.