Abstract
Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) is a nontoxic and biodegradable polysaccharide, which can potentially replace the frequently used hazardous depressants in Cu–Mo separation. However, a lack of understanding of the interaction mechanism between the CMC and the minerals has hindered its application. In the present study, it is found that 50 mg·L−1 CMC can inhibit chalcopyrite entirely in the pH range 4–6, while having little effect on molybdenite. The results also showed that the inhibition effect of the depressant for chalcopyrite enhanced with the increase of the degree of substitution (DS) and molecular weight (Mw) of CMC. The low DS and high Mw of CMC were detrimental to the Cu–Mo separation flotation. Furthermore, CMC adsorption was found to be favored by a positive zeta potential but hindered by the protonation of the carboxyl groups. An electrochemical study showed that CMC inhibited 92.9% of the electrochemical reaction sites of chalcopyrite and greatly reduced the production of hydrophobic substances. The XPS and FTIR measurements displayed that the chemisorption was mainly caused by Fe3+ on the chalcopyrite surface and the carboxyl groups in the CMC molecular structure.
Highlights
Molybdenum (Mo) is one of the most important rare metals
Chalcopyrite was entirely inhibited by 50 mg∙L−1 CMC in the 4–6 pH range, with minor effects on molybdenite flotation
The efficacy of CMC as a chalcopyrite depressant increased with increasing on molybdenite flotation
Summary
Molybdenum (Mo) is one of the most important rare metals. It is a widely used additive in steel alloys, high-temperature alloys, and other materials [1,2]. Is usually associated with copper sulfide ores such as chalcopyrite (CuFeS2 ) [3,4]. Mo concentrate is commonly obtained as a by-product from copper ore by a two-stage froth flotation technique [5]. Mo from the copper sulfide by selective flotation. As molybdenite is inherently more floatable than chalcopyrite [6], chalcopyrite is inhibited by a depressant that selectively hinders the collector adsorption to chalcopyrite or increases the hydrophilicity of chalcopyrite during the separation
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