Abstract
The process water used for the flotation of sedimentary copper ore in ore concentration plants in KGHM Polska Miedz S.A. were characterized. The process water used in the flotation circuits is heavily saline. It contains between 25 and 45 g/dm3 of soluble components, and the main constituent, in about 75%, is NaCl. Process water used for flotation consists of reclaimed water from the tailing dam and mine water. The effect of process water salinity on the processes of copper flotation from the Lubin mine area was described. The results of laboratory flotation experiments conducted in tap water and in water of different salinity levels were compared. The effect of the salinity of water within specified concentration limits was generally found to be beneficial for upgrading of the examined ore.
Highlights
1.1 The effect of process water salinity on the flotation processesThe physicochemical properties of the process water, i.e. its ionic composition and the amount of dissolved substances, are one of the most important factors influencing the course of flotation processes
With the increase of salts dissolved in the flotation water (30% of the saline process water with 70% of tap water) used in the tests, the results of upgrading were most favorable in the series of tests described
Comparison of the behavior of organic carbon in the analyzed water types (Fig. 5) clearly indicates that this component is the worst upgraded in tap water, and any increase in salinity has a positive effect on its flotation
Summary
The physicochemical properties of the process water, i.e. its ionic composition and the amount of dissolved substances, are one of the most important factors influencing the course of flotation processes. The recycled water from the "Zelazny Most" pond is mixed with mine water in the processing plants, carrying different amounts of soluble salts, in different areas of the Concentrator, flotation process water varies and, depending on the region, contains between 20 and 40 g/dm of soluble components (Table 1). As noted in the study of Luszczkiewicz et al [13], data from Table 1 show that the ionic product of calcium and sulphate ions is 0.7710-3 up to 1.210-3 and it is significantly higher than the solubility equilibrium product of various forms of calcium sulphate (below 3.110-5) This means that the KGHM process water is supersaturated with calcium sulphate (gypsum and anhydrite) and precipitation of these substances is expected. In the reclaimed water of the "Zelazny Most" tailings dam, compared to data from the late 1960s, the content of soluble components and chloride ions increased approximately fivefold/sixfold and the amount of sulfate ions increased more than one and a half times with a tendency toward equilibrium at approx. 3000 mg/dm
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