Abstract
Copper-lead-zinc mixed ore in Tibet, China, is a complex and refractory polymetallic ore resource; thus, ascertaining its mineralogical properties is very important for comprehensive recovery of valuable elements. In this work, the mineralogical properties of this copper-lead-zinc mixed ore have been characterized in detail following a multidisciplinary approach, including chemical, phase, x-ray diffraction (XRD), electron microprobe, and mineral liberation analyses. The results show that the raw ore contained 0.53% Cu, 1.29% Pb, and 0.54% Zn; the oxidation rates of copper, lead, and zinc were 40.21%, 79.31%, and 84.83%, respectively. The Au and Ag contents in the raw ore were 0.28 g/t and 23.6 g/t, which can be comprehensively utilized along with the recovery of copper, lead, and zinc. The gangue mainly contained SiO2, CaO, and Al2O3. Copper in the raw ore mainly existed in bornite, duftite, chalcopyrite, and chrysocolla; lead mainly existed in cerussite, duftite, and galena; zinc mainly existed in willemite, hemimorphite, and sphalerite. The complexity in the embedding and wrapping relationships, fine-grained dissemination, high oxidation, and considerable differences in the floatability of various minerals result in difficulties in recovering the target minerals using a single method. Based on the systematic mineralogical properties obtained, an integrated technology of “bulk flotation-oxidation roasting-hydrometallurgy” has been proposed to enrich and separate copper, lead, and zinc in the ore, providing new ideas for the comprehensive and efficient utilization of polymetallic mineral resources in Tibet.
Highlights
Mineral resources are indispensable materials for modern national economic construction, and the material basis for economic development
With the rapid development of science and technology, mineral liberation analysis, electron microprobes, Leica DMLP light microscopy, and other detection methods have been applied to the field of process mineralogy [6,7,8,9]
We investigated the contents and compositions of minerals, mineral liberation, mineral inlay relationships, and so on, using many analytical methods including multielement analysis, phase analysis, x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, electron microprobe analysis (EMPA), and mineral liberation analysis (MLA)
Summary
Mineral resources are indispensable materials for modern national economic construction, and the material basis for economic development. Ey have great developmental value, but these minerals are usually closely symbiotic, making the separation of copper-lead-zinc ore very difficult, the quality of the concentrate poor, and the recovery rate low [10, 11]. With the development of new deposits, the grain sizes and intergrowth of valuable and gangue minerals have remained topics of increasing interest, and reagents and technology have been successfully used for selective separation of copper-lead-zinc complex ores [34]. Copper-lead-zinc ore from Tibet has many disadvantageous characteristics, such as complex components, a high oxidation rate, strong association between different elements, and fine grain size of the inlay, which make the development and utilization of these mineral resources. A “flotation-hydrometallurgy” combined technology process was used to comprehensively recover the target mineral elements, which provides a basis for later development and utilization
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
