Control of grinding conditions in the flotation of chalcopyrite and its separation from pyrite

Peng, Yongjun; Grano, S.R.; Fornasiero, Daniel; Ralston, John

doi:10.1016/s0301-7516(02)00119-9

Cited by 132 publications

(44 citation statements)

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“…Various oxidation events can affect a sulphide ore, either during in situ weathering of an ore body or during the different extraction and processing stages (mining operations, stockpiling, crushing, milling and flotation) (Clark et al, 2000). Chalcopyrite surface oxidation leads to, in the first instance, dissolution of Cu and Fe ions from the mineral surface leaving a metal deficient layer enriched in sulphur on the surface, with some metal hydroxide present in alkaline conditions (Owusu et al, 2014;Peng et al, 2003;Todd et al, 2003;Peng and Zhao, 2011). Since collectorless flotation is attributed to the presence of sulphur rich species such as polysulphide or elemental sulphide (Lutrell and Yoon, 1984a,b;Barzyk et al, 1981;Walker et al, 1986), slight surface oxidation may enhance the flotation performance of the sulphide mineral (Buckley and Woods, 1984;Smart, 1991;Smart et al, 1998;Vaughan et al, 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxidative weathering of a copper sulphide ore and its influence on pulp chemistry and flotation

Jacques

Greet²,

Bastin

2016

Minerals Engineering

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a b s t r a c tThe influence of grinding chemistry on the flotation behaviour of sulphides minerals has been widely studied. However, its influence on partially oxidised sulphide ores is not well documented. Various oxidation events can affect a sulphide ore, either during in situ weathering of an ore body or during the different extraction and processing stages (mining operations, stockpiling, crushing, milling and flotation). In this study, a hypogene copper sulphide ore was artificially oxidised to various lengths of time by percolating a small quantity of acidic ferric sulphate solution inoculated with a mixed bacterial culture through packed columns. For each time interval a series of grinding-flotation tests using different grinding media alloys was completed. The grinding and flotation chemistry were compared and linked to the flotation behaviour of the ore samples.The results reveal that as oxidation progressed the copper metallurgy deteriorated. However, the deleterious effects of oxidation could be partially overcome through the application of the right grinding chemistry.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxidative weathering of a copper sulphide ore and its influence on pulp chemistry and flotation

Jacques

Greet²,

Bastin

2016

Minerals Engineering

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“…It is also well known that iron oxidation species play a dominant role in depressing mineral flotation (Forssberg et al, 1988;Natarajan, 1996;Peng et al, 2003a). The depressed chalcopyrite flotation in Fig 4.5 may be mainly attributed to the iron oxidation species originated from chalcopyrite oxidation.…”

Section: Controlled Grindingmentioning

confidence: 83%

Slime coating mitigation on mineral surfaces in froth flotation by saline water

Zhao¹

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Fine and ultra-fine particle flotation is central to the mining industry as a result of the need to treat low grade and difficult ores which require fine grinding to liberate valuable minerals from gangue minerals. However, the flotation of fine and ultra-fine particles is not efficient and a slime coating with slime gangue particles attaching to valuable minerals is one of the most popular barriers. A slime coating prevents the adsorption of collectors on the surface of valuable minerals resulting in low flotation recovery or low product quality.Saline water is also an important issue in the mining industry. In Western Australia, bore water with a high ionic strength has to be used at mine sites for production, site rehabilitation, and downstream processing because fresh water is not available locally. In Queensland, most mine sites have adopted water re-use as a means for making freshwater savings. However, water re-use results in increased salinity in site water stores, which is driven largely by evaporation and ongoing salt inputs from spoil, minerals and groundwater. Flotation relies on a large amount of water and therefore the impact of saline water on flotation performance has gained more and more attention.In this research, the role of saline water in the mitigation of slime coatings was studied and a generic approach to improve fine and ultra-fine particle flotation by using saline water was developed, building on the previous research. A model slime coating system was established by using copper minerals in the presence of clay particles. It was found that chalcocite flotation was depressed in the presence of bentonite slimes while chalcopyrite flotation was less affected.Electrostatic interactions between copper minerals and clay particles were found to be responsible for the different flotation of chalcocite and chalcopyrite in the presence of clay minerals. It was found that surface oxidation occurred during II grinding and changed the surface properties of chalcopyrite and chalcocite.Chalcocite was strongly oxidized while chalcopyrite was slightly oxidized after the grinding with stainless steel media. The different extent of surface oxidation resulted in the different electrical property of chalcocite and chalcopyrite surfaces.The strongly oxidized chalcocite surface became positively charged after grinding at the same pH and electrostatically attractive to bentonite particles resulting in the depressed chalcocite flotation. In contrast, the slightly oxidized chalcopyrite surface remained negatively charged after grinding at pH 9.0 and entropically repulsive from bentonite slime particles. Therefore, bentonite slimes did not influence chalcopyrite flotation as much as chalcocite flotation.Mitigation of slime coatings on chalcocite in flotation by using electrolytes was further investigated and kaolinite was used to introduce the slime. The results indicated that in tap water, the presence of kaolinite slimes depressed chalcocite flotation. With the addition of electrolytes to the flotation...

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“…pH, Eh and dissolved oxygen) , Yuan et al 1996a, Yuan et al 1996b, Peng et al 2003a, Peng et al 2003b, Greet et al 2004, Grano 2009, Kinal et al 2009, Bruckard et al 2011. However, most of the previous studies focused on primary grinding and rougher flotation, and the effect of various regrinding conditions on the subsequent cleaner flotation has not received much focus in the literature.…”

Section: Problem Statementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pozzo et al (1990) The electrochemical corrosion plays a dominant role in grinding media corrosion during wet grinding of sulphide minerals due to the galvanic interaction between steel grinding media and sulphide minerals , Pozzo and Iwasaki 1987, Natarajan 1996. The iron grinding media corrosion in alkaline solutions could produce a large amount of iron oxidation species, such as, iron hydroxide which can coat on mineral surfaces and depress mineral floatability , Peng et al 2003a, Peng et al 2003b). …”

Section: Galvanic Interaction Between Steel Grinding Media and Sulphimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During grinding, the DO concentration was highly dependent on the purging gas. The galvanic interaction of sulphide minerals with grinding media can be weakened by purging nitrogen during grinding to expel air, which was proved by measuring the galvanic current (Yelloji Rao and Natarajan 1988, Huang and Grano 2005) and also the amount of iron oxidation species (Peng et al 2003a, Peng et al 2003b). …”

Section: Galvanic Interaction Between Steel Grinding Media and Sulphimentioning

confidence: 99%

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The effect of regrinding chemistry and particle breakage mechanisms on subsequent cleaner flotation

Chen¹

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Regrinding rougher flotation concentrates is typically used to liberate valuable minerals from gangue prior to the cleaner separation stage in processing of low grade ores. Compared to the rougher flotation after primary grinding, it is usually more challenging to achieve a satisfactory performance in post-regrind cleaner flotation especially when fine particles are generated. One main factor which results in this reduction in flotation is the unsuitable particle surfaces produced after regrinding. However, this factor is not usually considered when designing and optimizing the regrinding process.Extensive studies have demonstrated that grinding chemistry can influence mineral floatability.However, earlier studies focused on primary grinding and rougher flotation rather than regrinding and cleaner flotation. In addition, different types of regrind mills are used in industry, and these provide different particle breakage mechanisms which may also influence mineral floatability.Therefore, the overall objective of this thesis study is to investigate the effects of regrinding chemistry and particle breakage mechanisms on the cleaner flotation. The implementation of regrinding in the copper and pyrite flotation circuits at Telfer gold mine was taken as a case study and four research areas were addressed with the objective of developing fundamental understanding to provide practical guidance for the plant operation. The four areas investigated are:1. Effect of regrinding chemistry on copper activation of pyrite and its flotation; 2. Separation of different copper sulphide minerals from pyrite after regrinding; 3. Importance of pulp chemistry during regrinding rougher concentrates; 4. Effect of particle breakage mechanisms on subsequent flotation.In this study, it was found that copper activation of pyrite and its flotation in the cleaner stage were affected by regrinding. In general, a decrease in surface concentration of collectors due to the increased surface area after regrinding contributed to the low pyrite recovery in the cleaner. Surface analysis revealed that both the surfaces that were carried from the rougher flotation concentrate and those which were freshly created were modified by the strong electrochemical reactions occurring inside the regrind mill. Stainless steel media promoted pyrite oxidation, especially on the copper activated surfaces. Mild steel media produced a greater amount of iron oxidation species which could adsorb on the carried surfaces. It was also found that mild steel media generated a reducing condition which favoured the copper activation on the freshly created surfaces.ii The research has also shown that the separability of chalcopyrite and chalcocite from pyrite was significantly different after regrinding, which was related to their electrochemical properties.Chalcocite was more active and therefore presented a stronger galvanic interaction with pyrite.Consequently chalcocite was more oxidised, which not only depressed its flotation but also produced sufficient copper ions...

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Control of grinding conditions in the flotation of chalcopyrite and its separation from pyrite

Cited by 132 publications

References 15 publications

Oxidative weathering of a copper sulphide ore and its influence on pulp chemistry and flotation

Oxidative weathering of a copper sulphide ore and its influence on pulp chemistry and flotation

Slime coating mitigation on mineral surfaces in froth flotation by saline water

The effect of regrinding chemistry and particle breakage mechanisms on subsequent cleaner flotation

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