Abstract
The conventional sulfidation-xanthate flotation process that consists of sulfidization with sodium sulfide, activation by heavy-metal ions, and collection with xanthate is not sufficiently efficient for treating hemimorphite, and the dosages of the sulfurizing reagent and metal ions are large. In this study, the sulfidation flotation (Pb2+ + Na2S + Pb2+ + xanthate) of hemimorphite was strengthened by pretreating with Pb2+ before sulfidation. Microflotation test results indicated that the recovery of hemimorphite increased by 5–10% after pretreatment with Pb2+. The comprehensive results of adsorption experiments, scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that a large amount of Pb2+ was adsorbed on the hemimorphite surface and entered the lattice, forming Zn(4−x)PbxSi2O7(OH)2·H2O. The newly formed component had an increased amount of surface sulfidation active sites and had the effect of induced crystallization, making the surface more effective for sulfidation. After the Pb2+ was added to the pulp, a large number of uniform and dense PbS species were formed on the hemimorphite surface, increasing the number of adsorption sites for xanthate and reducing the competitive adsorption of residual S2− on the xanthate.
Highlights
Zn is an important nonferrous metal that is mainly used in galvanization and Zn alloys [1,2].The most important source of Zn metal is the zinc sulfide mineral, followed by zinc oxide ores [3,4].With the depletion of easy-enrichment zinc sulfide minerals, increasing attention has been paid to the utilization of zinc oxide ores in recent years [5,6]
The effect of the Pb2+ concentration in the stage of pre-activation on the recovery of hemimorphite was investigated via microflotation experiments
They indicate that at the beginning, the recovery of hemimorphite slowly increased with the increasing Pb2+
Summary
The most important source of Zn metal is the zinc sulfide mineral, followed by zinc oxide ores [3,4]. With the depletion of easy-enrichment zinc sulfide minerals, increasing attention has been paid to the utilization of zinc oxide ores in recent years [5,6]. Zinc oxide ores mainly include smithsonite (ZnCO3 ), hemimorphite (Zn4 (H2 O)[Si2 O7 ](OH)2 ), and hydrozincite (Zn5 (CO3 ) (OH)6 ) [7]. Sulfidation–flotation is the primary method used to treat zinc oxide ores. Zinc oxide ores are first sulfurized with a sulfidizing agent, and flotation is achieved by using cationic collectors (such as amines) or anion collectors (such as xanthate). The sulfidation process plays a dominant role in the sulfidation–flotation method, and the effect of sulfidation mainly depends on the mineral crystal structure, surface active components, etc [8,9]
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