Mineralogical characterization of silver flotation concentrates made from zinc neutral leach residues

Abstract

Silver flotation concentrates prepared from high-silver (1480 ppm Ag) and low-silver (300 ppm Ag) neutral leach residues have been examined mineralogically to determine the phases present and to elucidate the behavior of silver during zinc processing. The flotation concentrates consist principally of sphalerite although lesser amounts of zinc ferrite and PbSO4, as well as traces of other phases, also are present. In the high-silver flotation concentrate, silver occurs mostly as Ag2S or (Ag, Cu)2S rims on sphalerite although (Ag, Cu)2S inclusions within sphalerite also are present. Trace amounts of a Cu-Ag-S-Cl phase are present on rare copper oxide grains, and this silver-bearing phase may be a fine mixture of Ag2S, AgCl, and Cu2S. In the low-silver flotation concentrate, silver occurs mostly as Ag2S although traces of silver-bearing CuS and Cu2S also are present. The Ag2S occurs as <1 μm particles disseminated in elemental sulfur-silica gel patches, as discontinuous rims or isolated patches on sphalerite grains, and as tiny free particles. Silver chloride was not detected. These studies suggest that silver dissolves during neutral leaching and subsequently reacts with sphalerite or other sulfides to form silver sulfide.