Effect of strong collectors and frothers on coarse particle flotation using the HydroFloat™ for a North American concentrator

Abstract

ABSTRACT In conventional flotation, particles larger than 150 μm tend to float poorly, especially those with high specific gravity. The flotation equipment, HydroFloat™, has been implemented in the mining industry and has resulted in significant improvements in coarse particle recovery, particularly when used with strong collectors and frothers. A North American concentrator processing copper-molybdenum (Cu-Mo) ore has been having difficulties in recovering particles coarser than 150 μm. Presently, the concentrator uses sodium ethyl xanthate and X-133 frother (baseline). Previous tests conducted using stronger collectors and frothers showed that potassium amyl xanthate (PAX) and FrothPro 630 increased Cu recovery by 3% using a conventional laboratory flotation machine. In that testwork, chalcopyrite recovery for particles > 300 μm was low (~55%) under a range of testing conditions. Thus, the HydroFloat™ was tested using potassium ethyl xanthate and PAX in an attempt to increase Cu recovery for particles > 300 μm. Results showed that the recovery of chalcopyrite particles > 300 μm increased by more than 10%, depending on the test condition.