Flotation of Cu-Zn Sulfide Ores

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 4744

Special Issue Editors

Hacettepe University Mining Engineering Department, Beytepe, Ankara 06800, Turkey
Interests: flotation chemistry; surface chemistry of sulfide minerals; design and optimization of flotation plants
Hacettepe University Mining Engineering Department, Beytepe, Ankara 06800, Turkey
Interests: flotation chemistry; surface chemistry of sulfide minerals; design and optimization of flotation plants

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Base metals are the most imporant raw materials used for production advanced technology materials in the industry of electronics, aerospace, automative and energy. Hence, the demand for the base metals has increased substantially in the last decade. Recycling of waste metals could supply a certain percentage of the demand but it is not sufficent to satisfy the increasing consumtion. Therefore, new resources are greatly required, which brings about treatment of low grade, complex sulfide ore deposits in the world.

Flotation is the most important method used for beneficiation of sulfide ores. There are many flotation plants in the world treating Cu-Zn sulfide ores with different flotation conditions and producing copper and zinc concentrates. The nature of Cu-Zn sulfide ores, i.e., ore genesis, grade, mineralogy, surface conditions of the sulfide minerals, determines the flotation conditions and the flowsheet. The Cu-Zn flotation process could be a simple differential flotation process using lime as the only modifier/depressant or a complex process including use of various depressants and specific collectors to achieve an acceptable Cu/Zn selectivity. This Special Issue aims to contribue understanding effects of ore genesis, mineralogy, surface chemistry and flotation chemistry on the flotation of Cu-Zn sulfide ores.  Fundemantal and applied research studies that address the challenges associated with flotation of Cu-Zn sulfide ores and new approches to solve the problems are highly recommended.

Prof. Dr. Zafir Ekmekçi
Dr. Özlem Bıçak
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • flotation chemistry
  • flotation reagents
  • surface chemistry
  • sulfide minerals
  • flowsheet development

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2402 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Pulp Temperature on the Flotation Performance of Copper-Lead-Zinc Sulphide Ore
by Ozlem Bicak, Ertuna Cakir, Seda Ozcelik and Zafir Ekmekci
Minerals 2023, 13(9), 1181; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13091181 - 08 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 857
Abstract
Flotation performance can significantly be affected by seasonal variations due to the changes in water temperature and pulp temperature, type and concentration of dissolved ions in process water. Extreme temperature conditions could be the major factor affecting flotation performance and mask the influence [...] Read more.
Flotation performance can significantly be affected by seasonal variations due to the changes in water temperature and pulp temperature, type and concentration of dissolved ions in process water. Extreme temperature conditions could be the major factor affecting flotation performance and mask the influence of water chemistry. Therefore, the interactive effects of the temperature and water chemistry should be taken into consideration, particularly for mine sites experiencing extreme temperature conditions. In this paper, effects of temperature, sulphate (SO42−), thiosulphate (S2O32−) and calcium (Ca2+) ions on the flotation performance of a Cu-Pb-Zn complex sulfide ore were investigated using a statistical experimental design and modelling approach. The results were evaluated using ANOVA and regression analysis to determine the significant parameters and derive individual regression models for each flotation response using Design Expert software version 6.0.8. Individual regression models were developed for mass pull, water recovery, grade and recovery of the sulfide minerals using the statistically significant main effects and their interactions. The models were used to determine the concentration of the dissolved ions and pulp temperature required to achieve the maximum zinc recovery, maximum zinc grade or the optimum zinc grade and recovery. The results showed that the water chemistry (i.e., the concentrations of Ca2+, SO42− and S2O32−) affected the flotation performance significantly at low temperature (25 °C). At high pulp temperature (60 °C), however, the temperature was the dominant parameter and masked the effects of water chemistry. Details of the statistical experimental design, discussions of the effects of experimental factors and their interactions on flotation performance, and the development of regression models are presented in this paper. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Flotation of Cu-Zn Sulfide Ores)
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13 pages, 3250 KiB  
Article
Carrier Flotation Using Coarse Pyrite for Improving the Recovery of Finely Ground Chalcopyrite: Development of Post-Process of Carrier Flotation to Separate Finely Ground Chalcopyrite Particles from Coarse Pyrite Particles
by Muhammad Bilal, Ilhwan Park, Mayumi Ito, Fawad Ul Hassan, Kosei Aikawa, Sanghee Jeon and Naoki Hiroyoshi
Minerals 2023, 13(7), 916; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13070916 - 07 Jul 2023
Viewed by 814
Abstract
Carrier flotation is a technique that can recover fine particles by using coarse carrier particles during the flotation process. In heterogeneous carrier flotation, coarse mineral particles of different minerals are used as carriers to recover fine mineral particles. By using Cu2+-treated [...] Read more.
Carrier flotation is a technique that can recover fine particles by using coarse carrier particles during the flotation process. In heterogeneous carrier flotation, coarse mineral particles of different minerals are used as carriers to recover fine mineral particles. By using Cu2+-treated pyrite particles as carriers, fine chalcopyrite particles recovery could be improved. However, a disadvantage of this heterogeneous carrier flotation is that it requires a post-flotation separation process to improve the grade of the final Cu concentrate. This study tested mechanical and chemical treatments to detach finely ground chalcopyrite (D50~3.5 µm) particles from Cu2+-treated coarse pyrite particles (−125 + 106 µm) after flotation. The results showed that the ultrasonic treatment was not effective to detach chalcopyrite fines from Cu2+-treated pyrite particles. However, acid treatment was effective to detach chalcopyrite fines from coarse pyrite particles. At pH 2, approximately 96% of chalcopyrite fines were detached from coarse Cu2+-treated pyrite particles. The acid treatment of flotation froth (mixture of chalcopyrite fines and Cu2+-treated pyrite particles) decomposed the collector KAX (potassium amyl xanthate) and dissolved the Cu precipitates adsorbed on the pyrite surface. This weakened the hydrophobic attraction force between the chalcopyrite fines and coarse pyrite particles, thus promoting the detachment of chalcopyrite fines from Cu2+-treated coarse pyrite particles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Flotation of Cu-Zn Sulfide Ores)
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24 pages, 4604 KiB  
Article
Pathway to Prediction of Pyrite Floatability from Copper Ore Geological Domain Data
by Unzile Yenial-Arslan, Mayra Jefferson, Catherine Curtis-Morar and Elizaveta Forbes
Minerals 2023, 13(6), 801; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13060801 - 12 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1382
Abstract
The depletion of mining resources forces the mining industry to process more heterogeneous and complex orebodies. The inherent heterogeneity of these orebodies and their relation to processing recoveries have received considerable interest in recent years. The properties of ores, such as mineral composition [...] Read more.
The depletion of mining resources forces the mining industry to process more heterogeneous and complex orebodies. The inherent heterogeneity of these orebodies and their relation to processing recoveries have received considerable interest in recent years. The properties of ores, such as mineral composition and association, are known to affect flotation performance. Even ores with similar compositions can vary significantly regarding their texture, where the same minerals can occur in different forms. Therefore, very careful geometallurgical planning is needed to overcome the recovery losses. Glencore’s Mount Isa Copper Operation has reported historical difficulties decreasing the copper losses associated with natural floatable pyrites. Understanding the rock properties of naturally floatable pyrites and how they relate to chalcopyrite losses is crucial for concentrator operations. The Mount Isa geometallurgy team is looking for proxies for predicting copper losses and natural floatable pyrites to improve mine planning. This paper presents an approach for predicting the collector-less flotation of pyrite, as well as chalcopyrite losses from rock properties. The statistical analysis between the rock quality and ore type gives an indication of the chalcopyrite losses and natural floatable pyrites, which has potential use in geometallurgy plans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Flotation of Cu-Zn Sulfide Ores)
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22 pages, 8592 KiB  
Article
Effect of Long-Term Stockpiling on Oxidation and Flotation Response of Low-Grade Copper Sulphide Ore
by Aline Cristina Tavares, Marisa Bezerra de Mello Monte and Luís Marcelo Tavares
Minerals 2023, 13(2), 269; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13020269 - 14 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1289
Abstract
Since the start-up of the Sossego copper concentrator, located in the Carajás Mineral Province in the southeast of Para State, Brazil, the low-grade ore (~0.34% Cu) has been stockpiled, as defined in the long-term mine plan, to be reclaimed at the end of [...] Read more.
Since the start-up of the Sossego copper concentrator, located in the Carajás Mineral Province in the southeast of Para State, Brazil, the low-grade ore (~0.34% Cu) has been stockpiled, as defined in the long-term mine plan, to be reclaimed at the end of the mine life. Given this imminent need to process around 40 Mt of this low-grade ore, questions have been raised related to the extent of oxidation that might have occurred in this stockpiled ore. In this context, a study was designed to characterize the stockpiled ore and assess the effect of the ore oxidation on its flotation response. A sampling campaign of the stockpiled ore was carried out to analyze the main variables that could influence the level of oxidation, and, consequently, copper recovery, such as stockpiling time, depth, and particle size. The results showed that there are two main factors negatively impacting the copper recovery of the low-grade stockpiled ore: the surface oxidation and the level of liberation of the copper mineral. Depth and period of stockpiling were not found to influence the level of oxidation, nor the flotation response. An empirical model was proposed for the copper recovery in the rougher stage, which resulted in a predicted value of 90.7%, which was lower than that for the fresh (and higher copper content) ore fed to the plant (93%). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Flotation of Cu-Zn Sulfide Ores)
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