Abstract
Three factors were measured in the flotation process of copper ore: the copper grade in a concentrate (β), the copper grade in tailings (ϑ), and the recovery of copper in a concentrate (ε). The experiment was conducted by means of a Jameson cell. The factors influencing the quality of the process were the particle size (d), the flotation time (t), the type of collector (k), and the dosage of the collector (s). The considered vector function is then (β(d, t, k, s), ϑ(d, t, k, s), ε(d, t, k, s)). In this work, the optimization was based on determining the values of the adjustable factors (d, t, k, s). The goal was to obtain the possibly highest values of the functions β and ε (maximum) with the possibly lowest values of the function ϑ (minimum). To this end, taxonomic methods were applied. Thanks to the applied method, the optimum—with the adopted assumptions—was found. The presented methodology can be successfully applied in the search for the optima in a variety of technological processes.
Highlights
The main operation of copper ore beneficiation, after its preparation in the processes of fragmentation and classification, consists in the application of the flotation process in the multi-stage final grinding and cleaning systems
Polish copper ore is characterized by three main lithological fractions which require a different way of beneficiation, with flotation as the second stage of the process
The methodology of the optimization of copper flotation results, consisting in the use of the taxonomic method with regard to the beneficiation in a Jameson cell made it possible to determine the optimal conditions of its operation, depending on variable factors, namely the size of particles, the type and dosage of reagent, flotation type for the evaluation indicators of key processes, commonly used in raw material processing
Summary
The main operation of copper ore beneficiation, after its preparation in the processes of fragmentation and classification, consists in the application of the flotation process in the multi-stage final grinding and cleaning systems. Polish copper ore is characterized by three main lithological fractions which require a different way of beneficiation, with flotation as the second stage of the process. The technology of copper ore beneficiation depends on its lithological composition For this reason, the general ore processing variant cannot be used as its mineralogical and qualitative composition changes in the same way as mining and geological conditions of ore occurrence change. The occurrence of three lithological types of Polish copper ore depostis significantly hinders the process of output beneficiation due to the diversity of their mineralogical and physico-chemical properties. Nature and structure (mineralogy, morphology, and particle size), water chemistry, bubble size and velocity, flotation time, hydrodynamic properties, pulp potential and pH, pulp density, air flow rate, as well as reagent types and dosages [1,2,3,4,5]. Prevalent Copper-Bearing Minerals chalcocite in combination with digenite, bornite, covellite and chalcopyrite chalcocite-bornite and bornite-chalcopyrite minerals bornite-chalcopyrite and chalcocite-bornite minerals
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