Activating flotation of chalcopyrite using CuSO4 and H2O2 from the cyanide tailings
,
 
,
 
,
 
 
 
 
More details
Hide details
1
Faculty of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Jiangxi 341000, China
 
2
School of Mineral Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
 
 
Corresponding author
Guanghua Ai   

Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, No. 156, Kejia Avenue, 341000 Ganzhou, China
 
 
Physicochem. Probl. Miner. Process. 2018;54(2):578-589
 
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
The effects of CuSO4 and H2O2 on the flotation behavior of cyanide chalcopyrite were investigated by flotation tests, microcalorimetry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The underlying activation mechanism was studied in the perspective of micro-thermodynamics and surface properties. The flotation results indicated that cyanide chalcopyrite was strongly inhibited by sodium cyanide, with the maximum flotation recovery of 22.5% only. CuSO4 and H2O2 significantly improved the flotation of cyanide chalcopyrite, and the flotation recovery was increased to 92.28% and 84.35%, respectively. The micro-thermodynamics results indicated that the adsorption heat of butyl xanthate on cyanide chalcopyrite surface increased after the addition of CuSO4 and H2O2, as well as the reaction order. CuSO4 and H2O2 can significantly improve the adsorption of butyl xanthate on the surface of cyanide chalcopyrite by decreasing the apparent activation energy by 80.11% and 66.54%, respectively. XPS analysis indicated that the CuCN was generated on the surface of cyanide chalcopyrite, leading to the loss of sulfur and inhibiting the adsorption of collectors. As a result, the flotation of cyanide chalcopyrite was depressed. It is considered that, CuSO4 and H2O2 can improve the flotation of cyanide chalcopyrite by eleminating CuCN from its surface and increasing the concentration of S by 57.02% and 37.48%, respectively.
 
REFERENCES (40)
1.
ADAMS, M. D., 2005. Advances in Gold Ore Processing. Elsevier Ltd., Chapter 20.
 
2.
CHEN, J. H., LAN, L. H., CHEN, Y., 2013, Computational simulation of adsorption and thermodynamic study of xanthate, dithiophosphate and dithiocarbamate on galena and pyrite surfaces, Mineral Engineering 46-47, 136-143.
 
3.
CHEN, J. W., BAO, Z. Y., 2007a, Advances in the calorimetry and the thermokinetic study, Geological Bulletin of China 12, 1564-1568 (in Chinese).
 
4.
CHEN, J. W., BAO, Z. Y., 2007b. Thermo-kinetic study on mineral dissolution by microcalorimetry, in: The Twelfth International Symposium on Water-Rock Interaction 1, 289-291.
 
5.
CHEN, J. W., BAO, Z. Y., MEI, Y. P., 2007, Experimental study on mineral dissolution reaction by microcalorimetry, Bulletin of Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry Sup 1, 496-497 (in Chinese).
 
6.
DECINES, D., LI, C. G., CUI H. S., 2003, Interaction of gold and sulfide minerals in a cyanide medium, Metallic Ore Dressing Abroad 8, 32-39 (in Chinese).
 
7.
DONATO, D., NICHOLS, O., POSSINGHAM, H., MOORE, M., RICCI, P., NOLLER, B., 2007, A critical review of the effects of gold cyanide-bearing tailings solutions on wildlife, Environ. Int. 7, 974-984.
 
8.
GAO, S. L., CHEN, S. P., HU, R. Z., et al., 2002, Derivation and application of thermodynamic equations, Chinese Journal of Inorganic Chemistry 4, 362-366 (in Chinese).
 
9.
GAO, Y.S., GAO, Z.Y., SUN, W., HU, Y.H., 2016 a, Selective flotation of scheelite from calcite: A novel reagent scheme, International Journal of Mineral Processing, 2016, 154:10-15.
 
10.
GAO, Z.Y., GAO, Y.S., ZHU, Y.Y., HU, Y.H., SUN, W., 2016 b, Selective flotation of calcite from fluorite: a novel reagent schedule, Minerals, 6 (4): 114.
 
11.
GAO, Z., LI, C., SUN, W., HU, Y., 2017, Anisotropic surface properties of calcite: A consideration of surface broken bonds, Colloid. Surface. A., 520, 53-61.
 
12.
GUO, B., PENG, Y. J. RODOLFO, E. G., 2014, Cyanide chemistry and its effect on mineral flotation, Minerals Engineering 66-68, 25-32.
 
13.
HABASHI, F., 1987, One hundred years of cyanidation, Mining and Metallergical Bulletin 905,108-114.
 
14.
HAUNG, H. H., MILLER, J. D., 1978, Kinetics and thermochemistry of amyl xanthate adsorption by pyrite and marcasite, International Journal of Mineral Processing 5, 241-266.
 
15.
JIA, J. Y., XIE, X. D., WU, D. Q., WANG, J. C., WANG, Y., 2000, An XPS Study on Surfaces of Common Sulfide Minerals, Geological Journal of China Universities 2, 255-259 (in Chinese).
 
16.
KORTE, F., SPITELLER, M., COULSTON, F., 2000, The cyanide leaching gold recovery process is a nonsustainable technology with unacceptable impacts on ecosystems and humans: the disaster in Romania, Ecotoxicol. Environ. Saf. 3, 241-245.
 
17.
LAITOS, J. G., 2013, Cyanide, mining, and the environment, Pace Environmental Law Review 3, 869-1278.
 
18.
LAN, L. H., CHEN, J. H., LI, Y. Q., et al., 2016, Microthermokinetic study of xanthate adsorption on impurity-doped galena, Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China 1, 1-25.
 
19.
LI, T., YIN, Y. F., FANG, X. H., et al., 2011, Technological status of recovering copper, lead, zinc, sulfur from gold cyaniding tailings, Modern Mining 4, 28-29 (in Chinese).
 
20.
LI, Z. Y., WANG, L., YU, H. Y., et al., 2009, Recovery of lead and copper from cyanide tailings, Journal of University of Science and Technology Beijing 10, 1231-1234 (in Chinese).
 
21.
LIN, J. L., LI, Z. H., LU, Y. W., et al., 2013, Research on recoverying copper from cyanide tailing of a gold ore in Xinjiang, Multipurpose Utilization of Mineral Resources 2, 28-32 (in Chinese).
 
22.
LIU, C. L., 2016, Comprehensive polymetallic recovery from silver cyanide slag, Nonferrous Metals (mineral processing section) 3, 38-42 (in Chinese).
 
23.
LIU, S. J., HE, F. Y., SONG L., 2010, Effect of grinding mode on surface property and flotation behavior of chalcopyrite, Nonferrous Metals (Mineral Processing Section) 6, 35-40 (in Chinese).
 
24.
LIU, X. W., CHEN, J. W., BAO, Z. Y., et al., 2002, Relationship between the thermal kinetics of dissolution and crystal defects of several minerals, Journal of Chinese Electron Microscopy Society 5, 751-752 (in Chinese).
 
25.
LV, C. C., DING, J., FU, G. Y., et al., 2016, Present situation and prospect of recovering valuable elements from cyanidation tailing, CIESC Journal 4, 1079-1089 (in Chinese).
 
26.
MAIER, G. S., QIU, X., DOBIAS, B., 1997, New collectors in the flotation of sulphide minerals: a study of the electrokinetic, calorimetric and flotation properties of sphalerite, galena and chalcocite, Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 122, 207-225.
 
27.
MELLGREN, O., 1966, Heat of adsorption and surface reactions of potassium ethyl xanthate on galena, Transactions Society of Mining Engineers 235, 46-59.
 
28.
MUDDER, T., BOTZ, M., 2004, Cyanide and society: a critical review, European Journal of Mineral Processing and Environmental Protection 1, 62-74.
 
29.
WANG, X. M., LIU, J. S., LI, B. M., et al., 2009, Study on the Enthalpy Variation during Adsorption Processes of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans ATCC23270 on the Surface of Minerals and Its Metabolic Thermogenesis under Different Conditions, Geological Journal of China Universities 15, 256-262 (in Chinese).
 
30.
XIE, K., ZOU, S., CHEN, J., PENG, J., 2016, Experimental study on recovering gold from cyanidation tailings and biosafety disposal, GOLD 37, 58-61 (in Chinese).
 
31.
YANG, J. Y., CHEN, P., XU, X. B., LI, X. L., FAN, L. W., XU, Z. M., 2016, Experimental research on comprehensive recovery of copper, lead and zinc from low grade cyanide tailings in Jiaodong region, GOLD 2, 68-71 (in Chinese).
 
32.
YANG, Q., CHEN, S. P., XIE, G., et al., 2014, Development and application of RD496 microcalorimeter, Scientia Sinica Chimica 6, 889-914 (in Chinese).
 
33.
YANG, W., QIN, W. Q., LIU, R. Q., et al., 2010, Study on the separation of lead and zinc in cyaniding tailings, Mining and Metallurgical Engineering 6, 30-33 (in Chinese).
 
34.
YANG, X. L., HUANG, X., QIU, T. S., 2015, Recovery of zinc from cyanide tailings by flotation, Minerals Engineering 84, 100-105.
 
35.
YANG, X. L., HUANG, X., QIU, T. S., 2016, Activation of sodium metabisulfite on surfaces of copper-zinc sulfide ore in cyanidation tailings, The Chinese Journal of Nonferrous Metals 9, 1982-1989 (in Chinese).
 
36.
ZHANG, Y. L., LI, H. M., YU, X. J., 2013, Fe extraction from high-silicon and aluminum cyanide tailings by magnetic separation pretreatment of water leaching before magnetic separation, Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China 4, 1165-1173.
 
37.
ZHANG, Y. L., YU, X. J., LI, X. B., ZHANG, L. P., LI, D. G., 2011, Thermodynamics analysis of ferric compound during roasting-preparing process of cyanide tailings, Journal of Central South University (Science and Technology) 12, 3623-3629 (in Chinese).
 
38.
ZHAO, C. H., CHEN, J. H., LONG, X. H., GUO, J., 2014, Study of H2O adsorption on sulfides surfaces and thermokinetic analysis, Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry 20, 605-609.
 
39.
ZHAO, H. D., GU, G. H., 2013, Status and Prospect of Research on Comprehensive Recovering Copper, Lead and Zinc from Cyaniding Residues, Multipurpose Utilization of Mineral Resources 5, 1-4 (in Chinese).
 
40.
ZHU, Y. S., ZHU, J. G., 1996. Chemical Principles of Flotation Agent. Central South University Press, Changsha, Chap. 2.
 
eISSN:2084-4735
ISSN:1643-1049
Journals System - logo
Scroll to top