Synthesis of Hydroxylated Xanthate Salt and Its Use as Novel Selective Depressant in Copper-Molybdenum Separation

Abstract

A hydroxylated xanthate salt (HXS) was synthesized from ethanol, carbon disulfide, and NaOH. The flotation responses of chalcopyrite and molybdenite when HXS was used as a novel depressant were investigated using bench-scale flotation tests. The bench-scale flotation results indicate that HXS strongly influenced the flotation of chalcopyrite and had little effect on the flotation of molybdenite. These results can be attributed to a significant improvement in the molybdenite/chalcopyrite selectivity surface index after the addition of HXS. The synthesized HXS contained both solid-philic and hydrophilic groups. The molybdenum recovery achieved using HXS was 9.91% higher than that obtained using sodium hydrosulfide, and better separation was achieved. Compared with sodium hydrosulfite, the chemical oxygen demand, sulfates and five-day BOD decreased significantly using the alternative depressant. This HXS is therefore a potential depressant for use in copper-molybdenum separation.