Investigation of Seasonal Variations in Glencore’s Kidd Creek Cu-Zn ore flotation

Abstract

Water management in mining and mineral processing operations is becoming increasingly important in the 21st century due to water scarcity concerns and as part of a greater push for sustainability. The aim of this study is to investigate the impacts of seasonal water quality in the Glencore’s Kidd Creek copper-zinc concentrator in Timmins, Ontario, Canada.Mineralogy results indicate that the Kidd ore consists primarily of pyrite (22%) and quartz (22%), followed by pyrrhotite (9%), sphalerite (8%) and chalcopyrite (7%).Investigating the flotation of Kidd Creek ore at bench scale between March 2022 and February 2023 identified seasonal trends in both copper and zinc flotation. However, post hoc analysis could not identify which months were significant. Oxidation of the ore samples or the use of process water could have contributed to an increase in sphalerite floated to the copper concentrate by 20 to 30% in summer months. Sphalerite surfaces in July have higher intensities of copper and collector species resulting in higher zinc recovery in the copper concentrate. Species in the process water and on the mineral surfaces may partially explain the differences in performance between the spring and the summer months.