Concentration of oxidized Brazilian zinc ore by flotation: comparative study between anionic and cationic routes

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this work, a mineralogical characterization by X-ray diffractometry and thermogravimetric analysis of a new Brazilian zinc ore sample was performed. The mineralogical semi-quantification, conducted by normative calculation of the identified minerals, using their theoretical chemical formulas and the contents determined in the chemical analyses was as follows: smithsonite (20.3%), goethite (49.6%), kaolinite (12%), quartz (6.2%), cerussite (3.0%), chlorite (4.0%), dolomite (0.5%) and others (4.4%). Subsequently, bench flotation tests were executed, using sodium oleate (anionic route) and amine (cationic route) as smithsonite collectors. Sodium silicate was used as a depressant of the gangue minerals in both routes tested. These studies showed that the anionic route (30.1% Zn in concentrate and 83% Zn recovery) performed better than the cationic route (17.5% Zn in concentrate and 46.3% Zn recovery). Considering the mineralogical composition of the concentrates obtained in the best flotation results, associated with physicochemical studies published in the literature with the identified minerals, it was evidenced that the difference in performance between the tested routes is due to the influence of ions from the dissolution of carbonates present in the ore on the surface properties of the main gangue minerals (goethite and silicates), especially for the cationic route.