A flotation separation method for galena and chalcopyrite

Abstract

The present invention discloses a flotation separation method for galena and chalcopyrite, belonging to the field of mineral flotation technology. The present invention provides a combined depressant, which comprises, by mass percentage, 10%-30% of sodium persulfate, 20%-50% of sodium sulfate, 10%-40% of FeSO4·7H2O, and 20%-30% of CuSO4. Copper and lead concentrates are obtained through a one-coarse, two-fine flotation process. The combined depressant of the present invention is widely available, non-hazardous, inexpensive, and highly adaptable to the pH of the ore pulp. The depressant raw material is regenerated through the action of an electric field, allowing a single feed to be reused seven times, significantly reducing the amount of reagents used.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a flotation separation method for galena and chalcopyrite, and belongs to the technical field of mineral flotation. Background Art

[0002] Galena is the main ore of lead. Since galena contains lead, by-products such as silver (Ag) are produced during the extraction process. Therefore, its economic value is not limited to the production of lead.

[0003] In actual mineral processing, the separation of galena and chalcopyrite is relatively complicated. Since they often coexist densely in lead-zinc sulfide metal deposits and have similar floatability, their physical and chemical properties are relatively similar, especially their response to common collectors during flotation is similar. Therefore, different physical and chemical mineral processing methods, such as flotation, are needed to effectively separate the two by using different collectors, inhibitors and adjusting slurry conditions.

[0004] However, during flotation, chalcopyrite and galena exhibit overlapping responses to slurry pH, ion concentration, and inhibitors, making effective separation difficult using a single flotation reagent system. While inhibitors such as cyanide or sodium sulfide can inhibit chalcopyrite, they often affect galena's flotation performance, resulting in reduced recovery. Coupled with the complexity of slurry composition, mineral surface properties, and bubble behavior in the flotation environment, effective separation of galena and chalcopyrite requires precise reagent ratios, controlled slurry conditions, and optimized operating parameters, making the process highly technical and challenging.

[0005] With the increasing scarcity of resources, traditional inhibitors are difficult to meet the requirements of mineral separation. In order to solve this problem, a combination of sodium persulfate (Na2S2O8) / sodium sulfate, ferrous ions and copper ions is used as a galena inhibitor. At the same time, an electric field is applied to the slurry to promote the regeneration of the inhibitor. The inhibitor can be recycled multiple times with one feeding, thus completing the oxidation inhibition of galena. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to solve the problems existing in the current flotation separation process of galena and chalcopyrite, a flotation separation method of galena and chalcopyrite is provided, which specifically comprises the following steps:

[0007] (1) The lead-copper mixed ore is ground to obtain slurry.

[0008] (2) Adding a collector and a foaming agent to the ore pulp obtained in step (1) to perform a roughing process to obtain a mixed concentrate.

[0009] (3) Adding a combined inhibitor to the mixed concentrate obtained in step (2) and performing a single concentration to obtain a concentrate.

[0010] The dosage of the combined inhibitor is 1-4 kg / t, and the combined inhibitor comprises, calculated by mass percentage, 10-30% of sodium persulfate, 20-50% of sodium sulfate, 10-40% of FeSO4·7H2O, and 20-30% of CuSO4; wherein the total mass percentage of sodium persulfate, sodium sulfate, FeSO4·7H2O, and CuSO4 is 100%.

[0011] (4) The concentrate after the first concentration is further concentrated (no reagents are added in the second concentration) to obtain copper concentrate and lead concentrate.

[0012] (5) The bottom products of the first roughing and first cleaning tanks are treated with an external electric field to obtain a regenerated combined inhibitor.

[0013] Preferably, the pH of the slurry in step (1) is 3-6.

[0014] Preferably, the amount of collector and foaming agent used in step (2) is 100-300 g / t of collector and 50-200 g / t of foaming agent.

[0015] Preferably, the time for one rough selection in step (2) is 5 to 11 minutes.

[0016] Preferably, the selection time in step (3) is 5 to 15 minutes.

[0017] Preferably, the secondary selection time in step (4) is 5 to 15 minutes.

[0018] Preferably, the action potential of the electric field in step (5) is 1.2 to 3.6 V, and the time is 10 to 40 minutes.

[0019] There are no special requirements for the collector and foaming agent used in the present invention, and any common collector and foaming agent in the art can be used.

[0020] The principle of the invention: Na2S2O8, sodium sulfate, ferrous iron, copper ions are combined to form a kind of advanced oxidation process. In the reaction process, metal ions play a catalytic role and can produce a large amount of SO4 with strong oxidizing ability. - Free radicals. This SO4· - Free radicals can oxidize the surface of galena to generate oxygen-containing compound sulfate, which reduces the hydrophobicity of the galena surface. At the same time, it has little effect on the hydrophobicity of chalcopyrite, thereby achieving the separation effect of galena and chalcopyrite.

[0021] Under the action of electric field, the cathode reaction is: Fe 3+ Gaining electrons and being reduced to Fe 2+ , Cu 2+ Reduced to Cu + ; The anode reaction is SO4 2-Lose electrons and be oxidized again to S2O8 2- Thus, under the action of electrolysis, the original inhibitor is recovered from the slurry, achieving the effect of reuse.

[0022] Beneficial effects of the present invention

[0023] (1) Combination inhibitors are widely available, non-hazardous chemicals, and inexpensive.

[0024] (2) It can be used in the range of pH 3 to 7 and has strong adaptability to the pH of the slurry

[0025] (3) By regenerating the inhibitor raw materials through the action of the electric field, the purpose of repeatedly using the combined inhibitor for seven times can be achieved by adding the raw materials once, which significantly reduces the amount of reagents used.

[0026] (4) The process is simple and reliable, with high mineral processing efficiency and easy operation, which can significantly reduce mineral processing costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 It is a flotation process schematic diagram of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and through specific embodiments. However, the following embodiments are merely simplified examples of the present invention and do not represent or limit the scope of protection of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention shall be subject to the claims.

[0029] Example 1

[0030] The lead-copper mixed ore used in this embodiment comes from a copper-lead-zinc polymetallic sulfide mine in Yunnan, with a copper grade of 0.9245%, a lead grade of 1.302%, and a zinc grade of 2.35%.

[0031] The components and mass percentages of the combined inhibitor used in this embodiment are: 30% sodium persulfate, 30% sodium sulfate, 20% FeSO4·7H2O, and 20% CuSO4.

[0032] A flotation separation method for galena and chalcopyrite, the specific steps are as follows:

[0033] (1) Grind the lead-copper mixed ore and prepare the slurry with H2SO4 to make the pH of the slurry 4.5.

[0034] (2) 100 g / t of sodium xanthate and 50 g / t of butyl ether alcohol were added to the slurry obtained in step (1) to perform a roughing process for 8 minutes to obtain a mixed concentrate.

[0035] (3) Add 800 g / t of combined inhibitor to the mixed concentrate obtained in step (2) and perform a concentration for 12 minutes to obtain a concentrate.

[0036] (4) The concentrate after the first concentration is subjected to a second concentration (no reagent is added in the second concentration), and the concentration time is 10 minutes to obtain copper concentrate and lead concentrate.

[0037] (5) The bottom products of the primary roughing and primary cleaning tanks were treated with an external electric field for 30 minutes. The applied electric field had an action potential of 2.2 V, and 750 g of regenerated combined inhibitor was obtained.

[0038] The final copper concentrate contains 25.31% copper and 3.10% lead, and the lead concentrate contains 68.53% lead and 0.41% copper.

[0039] Example 2

[0040] The raw ore used in this embodiment comes from a copper-lead-zinc sulfide mine in Yunnan Province, containing 0.61% copper, 2.39% lead, and 5.09% zinc. The mixed concentrate contains 9.7% copper, 40.20% lead, 3.09% zinc, 25.46% sulfur, and 11.43% iron.

[0041] The components and contents of the combined inhibitor used in this embodiment are: sodium persulfate 10%, sodium sulfate 20%, FeSO4·7H2O 40%, and CuSO4 30%.

[0042] A flotation separation method for galena and chalcopyrite, the specific steps are as follows:

[0043] (1) Grind the lead-copper mixed ore and prepare the slurry with H2SO4 to make the pH of the slurry 7.

[0044] (2) 100 g / t of ethionamide and 50 g / t of ethyl ether alcohol were added to the slurry obtained in step (1) to perform a roughing operation for 5 min to obtain a mixed concentrate.

[0045] (3) Add 1 kg / t of combined inhibitor to the mixed concentrate obtained in step (2) and perform a concentration for 5 minutes to obtain a concentrate.

[0046] (4) The concentrate after the first concentration is subjected to a second concentration (no reagent is added in the second concentration), and the concentration time is 15 minutes to obtain copper concentrate and lead concentrate.

[0047] The final copper concentrate contains 25.49% copper and 2.98% lead, and the lead concentrate contains 69.37% lead and 0.31% copper.

[0048] Example 3

[0049] The raw ore used in this embodiment comes from a copper-lead-zinc sulfide ore, containing 1.57% copper, 4.47% lead, and 7.83% zinc.

[0050] The components and contents of the combined inhibitor used in this embodiment are: 10% sodium persulfate, 50% sodium sulfate, 10% FeSO4·7H2O, and 30% CuSO4.

[0051] A flotation separation method for galena and chalcopyrite, the specific steps are as follows:

[0052] (1) Grind the lead-copper mixed ore and prepare the slurry with H2SO4 to make the pH of the slurry 3.

[0053] (2) 200 g / t of ethionamide and 100 g / t of pine oil were added to the slurry obtained in step (1) to perform a roughing operation. The roughing operation time was 11 min to obtain a mixed concentrate.

[0054] (3) Add 2 kg / t of combined inhibitor to the mixed concentrate obtained in step (2) and perform a concentration for 15 minutes to obtain a concentrate.

[0055] (4) The concentrate after the first concentration is subjected to a second concentration (no reagent is added in the second concentration), and the concentration time is 5 minutes to obtain copper concentrate and lead concentrate.

[0056] The final copper concentrate contains 25.621% copper and 2.92% lead, and the lead concentrate contains 68.87% lead and 0.35% copper.

[0057] Example 4

[0058] In this example, the regenerated combined inhibitor obtained in Example 1 was used to perform flotation separation on an ore from a copper-lead sulfide ore in Qinghai, wherein the galena content was 2.79% and the chalcopyrite content was 1.45%. The specific steps were the same as those in Example 1. The resulting copper concentrate contained 25.26% copper and 3.05% lead, and the lead concentrate contained 68.15% lead and 0.42% copper. This demonstrates that the regenerated combined inhibitor can be recycled and is very effective. It was ultimately verified that the combined inhibitor of the present invention can be reused seven times.

[0059] Comparative Example 1

[0060] For comparison, the difference between this comparative example and Example 1 is that the inhibitors used are different. In this comparative example, the inhibitors used are 40% water glass, 20% sodium sulfite and 40% CMC (carboxymethyl cellulose). The amounts of the inhibitors and other chemicals are the same as those in Example 1. The flotation process is also the same as that in Example 1. The copper concentrate finally obtained contains 23.30% copper and 3.30% lead. The lead concentrate contains 64.66% lead and 0.5% copper. It can be seen that the flotation separation effect of using the combined inhibitor of the present invention is better, and the combined inhibitor of this comparative example cannot be reused.

Claims

1. A flotation separation method for galena and chalcopyrite, characterized in that: The specific steps include: (1) grinding the lead-copper mixed ore to obtain slurry; (2) adding a collector and a foaming agent to the ore pulp obtained in step (1) to perform a roughing operation to obtain a mixed concentrate; (3) adding a combined inhibitor to the mixed concentrate obtained in step (2) and performing a primary concentration to obtain a concentrate; The dosage of the combined inhibitor is 1-4 kg / t, and the combined inhibitor comprises, calculated by mass percentage, 10-30% of sodium persulfate, 20-50% of sodium sulfate, 10-40% of FeSO4·7H2O, and 20-30% of CuSO4; wherein the total mass percentage of sodium persulfate, sodium sulfate, FeSO4·7H2O, and CuSO4 is 100%; (4) The concentrate after the primary concentration is further subjected to secondary concentration to obtain copper concentrate and lead concentrate; (5) The bottom products of the first roughing and first cleaning tanks are treated with an external electric field to obtain a regenerated combined inhibitor.

2. The flotation separation method of galena and chalcopyrite according to claim 1, wherein: The pH of the slurry in step (1) is 3-6.

3. The flotation separation method of galena and chalcopyrite according to claim 1, wherein: The dosage of the collector and the foaming agent in step (2) is 100-300 g / t of collector and 50-200 g / t of foaming agent.

4. The flotation separation method of galena and chalcopyrite according to claim 1, wherein: The time for a rough selection in step (2) is 5 to 11 minutes.

5. The flotation separation method of galena and chalcopyrite according to claim 1, wherein: The time for one selection in step (3) is 5 to 15 minutes.

6. The flotation separation method of galena and chalcopyrite according to claim 1, wherein: The secondary selection time in step (4) is 5 to 15 minutes.

7. The flotation separation method of galena and chalcopyrite according to claim 1, wherein: The electric field in step (5) has an action potential of 1.2 to 3.6 V and lasts for 10 to 40 minutes.

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