Effect of composition of metal-containing modifiers on flotation of sulfide minerals of nonferrous heavy metals: Analysis and modeling

The article presents the studies into the influence exerted by metal-containing modifiers on flotation of copper, zinc and pyrite sulfides contained in copper–zinc sulfide ore from a Ural’s deposit, and the results of modeling copper, iron and zinc recovery in concentrate of flotation II (rougher copper–zinc flotation) as function of percentage of each sulfate in their mixture. The study uses a fourth-order simplex algorithm for mixing the test modifiers at different percentage. The modifiers, namely, cupric sulfate (CuSO4), ferric sulfate (FeSO4) and zinc sulfate (ZnSO4), are mixed and entered in flotation II, which is the rougher copper–zinc flotation, as a matter of fact. The experimental data analysis shows that a mixture of iron sulfate (FeSO4) 25 g/t and cupric sulfate (CuSO4) 75 g/t, added in flotation II at the total mixture consumption of 100 g/t, allows reaching the maximal overall copper and zinc recovery of 137.6%. From the experimental flotation results, the relations between the recoveries of copper, zinc and pyrite in flotation concentrate and the percentages of each modifier at their total consumption of 100 g/t are obtained. The relations can be used in a system of dozing the listed reagents in copper–zinc flotation. The models were used to calculate the copper, iron and zinc recoveries in concentrate of flotation II. This enabled determining the mixture compositions which could lead to the maximal copper and zinc recoveries at the minimal iron recovery. According to the modeling results, it seems the most interesting to investigate the effect of the mixture of cupric and iron sulfates entered in flotation II.

Phyoe Kyaw Kyaw, Kyaw Zaya Ya, Goryachev B.E. Effect of composition of metal-containing modifiers on flotation of sulfide minerals of nonferrous heavy metals: Analysis and modeling. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2024;(7):142-154. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/ 0236_1493_2024_7_0_142.

Phyoe Kyaw Kyaw¹, Graduate Student, e-mail: bophyo1831993@gmail.com, ORCID ID: 0000-0003-3084-6771,
Kyaw Zaya Ya¹, Ph.D. Internship-Department of Mineral Processing, e-mail: kokyawgyi49@gmail.com, ORCID ID: 0000-0003-4364-9574,
B.E. Goryachev¹, Dr. Sci. (Eng.), Professor, e-mail: beg@misis.ru,
¹ NUST MISIS, 119049, Moscow, Russia.

Phyoe Kyaw Kyaw, B.E. Goryachev, e-mail: bophyo1831993@gmail.com; e-mail: beg@misis.ru.

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