Agglomeration–Flotation of Finely Ground Chalcopyrite Using Emulsified Oil Stabilized by Emulsifiers: Implications for Porphyry Copper Ore Flotation

Abstract

<jats:p>Flotation is the conventional method for processing porphyry copper deposits, one of the most economically important sources of copper (Cu) worldwide. The rapidly decreasing grade of this type of Cu ore in recent years, however, presents serious problems with fine particle recovery using conventional flotation circuits. This low recovery could be attributed to the low collision efficiency of fine particles and air bubbles during flotation. To improve collision efficiency and flotation recovery, agglomeration of finely ground chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) (D50 = 3.5 μm) using emulsified oil stabilized by emulsifiers was elucidated in this study. Specifically, the effects of various types of anionic (sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), potassium amyl xanthate (KAX)), cationic (dodecyl amine acetate (DAA)), and non-ionic (polysorbate 20 (Tween 20)) emulsifiers on emulsified oil stability and agglomeration–flotation efficiency were investigated. When emulsifiers were added, the average size of agglomerates increased, resulting in higher Cu recovery during flotation. This dramatic improvement in flotation efficiency could be attributed to the smaller oil droplet size in emulsified oil and their higher stability in the presence of emulsifiers. The utilization of emulsifiers during agglomeration–flotation not only lowered the required agitation strength for agglomeration but also shortened the agglomeration time, both of which made the process easier to incorporate in existing flotation circuits.</jats:p>

Conventional and recent advances in gravity separation technologies for coal cleaning: A systematic and critical review

“…As explained earlier, the recovery of fine particles is also becoming a big challenge in the processing of porphyry copper deposits by conventional mechanical flotation circuits [ 280 ]. This is because fine particles have very low momentum and tend to go around bubbles instead of colliding with them that decreases their probability of being recovered [ 86 ]. The idea from coal cleaning of agglomerating fine, hydrophobic coal using oil as a bridging liquid can be applied to mineral processing of porphyry copper deposits as well.…”

“…In some cases, carrier flotation might be used. Oil agglomeration [ 85 , 86 ]—another kind of surface-based separation technique—is appropriate for ultra-fine coal cleaning when flotation is ineffective. By adding oil, coal could be selectively agglomerated and separated from gangue minerals by simple screening [ 87 ].…”

Advances in Selective Flotation and Leaching Process in Metallurgy

“…As high-grade and easily exploitable copper ores have been getting depleted, the development of flotation techniques for copper ores with low-grade and small grain size, as well as unconventional resources such as seafloor massive sulfide (SMS) ores, is becoming an important issue [6][7][8]. Hornn et al [7] investigated the application of agglomeration using surfactant-stabilized oil emulsion to improve flotation recovery of finely-ground chalcopyrite. The recovery of fine particles (D 50 < 5 µm) by flotation is well known to be difficult due to the low collision probability between air bubbles and mineral particles [9][10][11][12].…”

“…The recovery of fine particles (D 50 < 5 µm) by flotation is well known to be difficult due to the low collision probability between air bubbles and mineral particles [9][10][11][12]. A study by Hornn et al [7] revealed that agglomeration using surfactant-stabilized oil emulsion was effective in increasing the apparent particle size of fine chalcopyrite particles from 3.5 µm to ~10 µm, thereby improving Cu recovery from 68% to >97%. Meanwhile, Aikawa et al [8] proposed a novel flotation procedure to recover chalcopyrite selectively from SMS ores.…”

A Population Balance Model for Shear-Induced Polymer-Bridging Flocculation of Total Tailings

“…Many researchers have conducted related experiments and simulation studies to investigate the effect of flocculation on solid-liquid separation of tailings slurry. With respect to the experimental conditions, we comment that suspension concentration, flocculant dosage, shear rate, and other flocculation conditions influence the settling velocity and underflow concentration macroscopically [6,[12][13][14][15][16]. It was found that Rheomax DR 1050 has a better flocculation performance than conventional acrylamide/acrylate copolymer flocculant when the suspension concentration is high [6].…”