Abstract
Sodium thioglycolate is a chalcopyrite depressant, but its depressant effect is weak. The paper investigated the effect of CuSO4 on the depressant performance of sodium thioglycolate towards chalcopyrite through flotation tests, Zeta potential measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectra measurements. It was found that copper ions could improve the depressant effect of sodium thioglycolate on chalcopyrite. The results showed that copper ions could adsorb on the surface of chalcopyrite and form mixed copper sulfide and cupric oxides/hydroxides adsorption layers. As a result, the mineral composition on the chalcopyrite surface was changed. With sodium thioglycolate treatment, the Zeta potential and the adsorption sites of chalcopyrite surface were both increased, and the hydrophobic substance Sn2−/S0 concentration was decreased. The electrostatic repulsion of chalcopyrite surface with sodium thioglycolate was also decreased, which made the sodium thioglycolate interact with chalcopyrite more easily. The more active sites could adsorb more sodium thioglycolate, which improved the hydrophilia of chalcopyrite. At the same time, the decrease of Sn2−/S0 concentration could further improve the hydrophilia of chalcopyrite. The results show that the copper ions could exhibit auxiliary effect with sodium thioglycolate and could further enhance the depressant effect of sodium thioglycolate on the chalcopyrite flotation. This paper provides new insights into the depression of chalcopyrite flotation by sodium thioglycolate.
Highlights
Chalcopyrite (CuFeS2 ) is the most widely distributed copper mineral in the nature, accounting for about 70% of the Earth’s whole copper resources [1]
When the sodium thioglycolate (STG) dosage increased from 0 mol/L to 2.0 × 10−3 mol/L, the chalcopyrite recovery decreased from 92% to around 45%
The decreased recovery indicates that the STG exhibited some depressant effect on the chalcopyrite flotation
Summary
Chalcopyrite (CuFeS2 ) is the most widely distributed copper mineral in the nature, accounting for about 70% of the Earth’s whole copper resources [1]. Chalcopyrite often coexists and is associated with other nonferrous metal sulfide, which brings difficulties to its utilization. The recovery of chalcopyrite is mainly realized by the flotation method. In the flotation separation operations, the main depressants of chalcopyrite used are cyanide [2], sodium sulfides [3], and thioglycolic acids [4]. The effect of cyanide depressed chalcopyrite is the best, but it is highly toxic. Sodium sulfide could oxidize, and its concentration or dosage in flotation is too high. The depressant effect of thioglycolic acids is worse than that of the former two, but it has the advantages of less pollution, easy control, and high selectivity, giving it certain application in some flotation plants
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