Flotation Depression of Arsenopyrite Using Sodium Nitrobenzoate under Alkaline Conditions

Abstract

Arsenopyrite is a common arsenic-containing mineral that is often closely associated with sulfide minerals, such as pyrite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, galena, and sphalerite, and with precious metals, such as gold and silver. The selective inhibition of arsenopyrite is an important method used to reduce the arsenic content of processed products, the cost of arsenic removal in metallurgical processes, and its impact on the environment. In this study, we discovered a chemical sodium, m-nitrobenzoate (m-NBO), that can effectively inhibit the flotation behaviors of arsenopyrite via sodium butyl xanthate (NaBX), and these effects were studied by flotation experiments. The results showed that, using NaBX as a collector, arsenopyrite had good floatability under acidic conditions, but the floatability decreased under alkaline conditions. Furthermore, the organic inhibitor m-NBO had a significant inhibitory effect on arsenopyrite under alkaline conditions. In addition, the adsorption between m-NBO and NaBX was competitive, and a hydrophilic layer formed on the surface of arsenopyrite. The passivation film prevents dixanthogen from being adsorbed on the surface of the mineral. Due to the effect of m-NBO on arsenopyrite, the redox potential and oxide content of the arsenopyrite surface increased, the hydrophobicity of the arsenopyrite surface was reduced, and the flotation of arsenopyrite was inhibited. These results provide options for separating multimetal sulfide minerals and arsenic-containing minerals.

Valorizing (cleaned) sulfidic mine waste as a resource for construction materials

“…This hypothesis was also verified by the presence of Fe-O stretching and O-As-O bending vibrations at 580 and 431 cm -1 in the infrared spectra of the AAMs (Supplementary Figure S1). Characteristic peaks of arsenopyrite and their potential oxidation were seen with the peak formation at 1133 and 871 cm -1 as also identified in a study about the oxidation state of pyrite and arsenopyrite (Monte et al, 2002;Sun et al, 2021). This can also contribute to the increased leaching of As from AA_NC1_80_1 and AA_NC1_80_2, as observed, compared to the original tailings NC_1.…”

Depression of Arsenopyrite during Collectorless Flotation in Presence of Aqueous Metal Ions and Inorganic Compounds

“…Organic reagents can be very attractive to depress arsenopyrite. For example, it has been reported that the depression of arsenopyrite is due to the adsorption of mnitrobenzoate on the mineral surface through the -NOO-group of the organic, which forms covalent bonds with arsenopyrite causing a decrease in their flotation [15,16]. However, while organic depressants have selective effects in depressing arsenopyrite, they incur larger costs than conventional reagents.…”