Process mineralogy as a key factor affecting the flotation kinetics of copper sulfide minerals

Ataallah Bahrami; Mirsaleh Mirmohammadi; Yousef Ghorbani; Fatemeh Kazemi; Morteza Abdollahi; Abolfazl Danesh

doi:10.1007/s12613-019-1733-9

Volume 26 Issue 4

Apr. 2019

Turn off MathJax

Article Contents

Article Navigation > International Journal of Minerals, Metallurgy and Materials > 2019 > 26(4): 430-439

Ataallah Bahrami, Mirsaleh Mirmohammadi, Yousef Ghorbani, Fatemeh Kazemi, Morteza Abdollahi, and Abolfazl Danesh, Process mineralogy as a key factor affecting the flotation kinetics of copper sulfide minerals, Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater., 26(2019), No. 4, pp. 430-439. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-019-1733-9

Cite this article as:

Ataallah Bahrami, Mirsaleh Mirmohammadi, Yousef Ghorbani, Fatemeh Kazemi, Morteza Abdollahi, and Abolfazl Danesh, Process mineralogy as a key factor affecting the flotation kinetics of copper sulfide minerals, Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater., 26(2019), No. 4, pp. 430-439. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-019-1733-9

Citation:

PDF( 40023 KB)

Research ArticleOpen Access

Process mineralogy as a key factor affecting the flotation kinetics of copper sulfide minerals

+ Author Affiliations

Corresponding author:
Yousef Ghorbani E-mail: Yousef.Ghorbani@ltu.se
Received: 10 May 2018; Revised: 6 September 2018; Accepted: 7 September 2018

Abstract

Abstract

The aim of this study is to apply process mineralogy as a practical tool for further understanding and predicting the flotation kinetics of the copper sulfide minerals. The minerals' composition and association, grain distribution, and liberation within the ore samples were analyzed in the feed, concentrate, and the tailings of the flotation processes with two pulp densities of 25wt% and 30wt%. The major copper-bearing minerals identified by microscopic analysis of the concentrate samples included chalcopyrite (56.2wt%), chalcocite (29.1wt%), covellite (6.4wt%), and bornite (4.7wt%). Pyrite was the main sulfide gangue mineral (3.6wt%) in the concentrates. A 95% degree of liberation with d₈₀ > 80 μm was obtained for chalcopyrite as the main copper mineral in the ore sample. The recovery rate and the grade in the concentrates were enhanced with increasing chalcopyrite particle size. Chalcopyrite particles with a d₈₀ of approximately 100 μm were recovered at the early stages of the flotation process. The kinetic studies showed that the kinetic second-order rectangular distribution model perfectly fit the flotation test data. Characterization of the kinetic parameters indicated that the optimum granulation distribution range for achieving a maximum flotation rate for chalcopyrite particles was between the sizes 50 and 55 μm.
- microscopic analysis;
- flotation;
- kinetics;
- second order rectangular distribution model;
- sulphide minerals

FullText(HTML)

Supplements(0)

References(34)

References

[1]	N.O. Lotter, Modern process mineralogy:An integrated multi-disciplined approach to flow sheeting, Miner. Eng., 24(2011), No. 12, p. 1229.
[2]	N.O. Lotter, L.J. Kormos, J. Oliveira, D. Fragomeni, and E. Whiteman, Modern process mineralogy:Two case studies, Miner. Eng., 24(2011), No. 7, p. 638.
[3]	C.P. Brough, R. Warrender, R.J. Bowell, A. Barnes, and A. Parbhakar-Fox, The process mineralogy of mine wastes, Miner. Eng., 52(2013), p. 125.
[4]	C. Rule and R.P. Schouwstra, Process mineralogy delivering significant value at anglo platinum concentrators operations,[in] The 10th International Congress for Applied Mineralogy (ICAM), Trondheim, 2011, p. 613.
[5]	N.O. Lotter, W. Baum, S. Reeves, C. Arrué, and D.J. Bradshaw, The business value of best practice process mineralogy, Miner. Eng., 116(2018), p. 226.
[6]	J. Zhou and Y. Gu, Gold process mineralogy and its significance in gold metallurgy,[in] The 9th International Congress for Applied Mineralogy (ICAM), Brisbane, 2008, p. 205.
[7]	L.J. Cabri, M. Beattie, N.S. Rudashevsky, and V.N. Rudashevsky, Process mineralogy of Au, Pd and Pt ores from the Skaergaard intrusion, Greenland, using new technology, Miner. Eng., 18(2005), No. 8, p. 887.
[8]	R.J. Bowell, J. Grogan, M. Hutton-Ashkenny, C. Brough, K. Penman, and D.J. Sapsford, Geometallurgy of uranium deposits, Miner. Eng., 24(2011), No. 12, p. 1305.
[9]	P.R. Alves, The Carbonatite-Hosted Apatite Deposit of Jacupiranga, SE Brazil:Styles of Mineralization, Ore Characterization, and Association with Mineral Processing [Dissertation], Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, 2008.
[10]	M. Becker, C. Brough, D. Reid, D. Smith, and D. Bradshaw, Geometallurgical characterisation of the Merensky Reef at Northam platinum mine-comparison of Normal, Pothole and Transitional reef types,[in] The 9th International Congress for Applied Mineralogy (ICAM), Brisbane, 2008, p. 391.
[11]	D. Uliana, M.M.M.I. Tassinari, H. Kahn, and B.K. Hashizume, Process mineralogy studies of low grade iron ores used in the production of pellet feed,[in] The 10th International Congress for Applied Mineralogy (ICAM), Trondheim, 2011, p. 717.
[12]	D. Chetty, W. Clark, and M. Kotze, Process mineralogical studies in the beneficiation of rare earth element ores,[in] Process Mineralogy'12, Cape Town, 2012, p. 136.
[13]	E. Donskoi, R.J. Holmes, J.R. Manuel, J.J. Campbell, A. Poliakov, S.P. Suthers, and T.D. Raynlyn, Utilisation of iron ore texture information for prediction of downstream process performance,[in] The 9th International Congress for Applied Mineralogy (ICAM), Brisbane, 2008, p. 687.
[14]	C.R. McClung and F. Viljoen, Mineralogical assessment of the metamorphosed broken hill sulphide deposit, South Africa:Implications for processing complex ore bodies,[in] The 10th International Congress for Applied Mineralogy (ICAM), Trondheim, 2011, p. 427.
[15]	D. Meadows, D. Jensen P. Thompson, W. Baum, S. Yu, Mineralogical influences on copper, molybdenum and gold flowsheets:an overview,[in] Process Mineralogy'12, Cape Town, 2012, p. 146.
[16]	A. Rozendaal and R.G. Horn, Mineralogy and recovery of copper from smelter slag of the O'Okiep Copper District, South Africa,[in] Process Mineralogy'12, Cape Town, 2012, p. 10.
[17]	W. Thompson, A. Lombard, E. Santiago, and A. Singh, Mineralogical studies in assisting beneficiation of rare earth element minerals from carbonatite deposits,[in] The 10th International Congress for Applied Mineralogy (ICAM), Trondheim, 2011, p. 665.
[18]	Y. Ghorbani, M. Becker, J. Petersen, A.N. Mainza, and J.P Franzidis, Investigation of the effect of mineralogy as rate-limiting factors in large particle leaching, Miner. Eng., 52(2013), p. 38.
[19]	Y. Ghorbani, R. Fitzpatrick, M. Kinchington, G. Rollinson, and P. Hegarty, A process mineralogy approach to gravity concentration of Tantalum bearing minerals, Minerals, 7(2017), No. 10, p. 194.
[20]	L. Reyes-Bozo, R. Herrera-Urbina, C. Sáez-Navarrete, A.F. Otero, A. Godoy-Faúndez, and R. Ginocchio, Rougher flotation of copper sulphide ore using biosolids and humic acids, Miner. Eng., 24(2011), No. 14, p. 1603.
[21]	H.J. Zhang, J.T. Liu, Y.J. Cao, and Y.T. Wang, Effects of particle size on lignite reverse flotation kinetics in the presence of sodium chloride, Powder Technol., 246(2013), p. 658.
[22]	A. Azizi, A. Hassanzadeh, and B. Fadaei, Investigating the first-order flotation kinetics models for Sarcheshmeh copper sulfide ore, Int. J. Min. Sci. Technol., 25(2015), No. 5, p. 849.
[23]	H. Vapur, O. Bayat, and M. Uçurum, Coal flotation optimization using modified flotation parameters and combustible recovery in a Jameson cell, Energy Convers. Manage., 51(2010), No. 10, p. 1891.
[24]	M. Gharai and R. Venugopal, Modeling of flotation process-an overview of different approaches, Miner. Process. Extr. Metall. Rev., 37(2016), No. 2, p. 120.
[25]	J. Drzymala, T. Ratajczak, and P.B. Kowalczuk, Kinetic separation curves based on process rate considerations, Physicochem. Probl. Miner. Process., 53(2017), No. 2, p. 983.
[26]	K. Ismaili, and F. Mar, Investigation on the enrichment of heavy metals caused by Sungun copper deposit in drainage sediments, Iran. J. Min. Eng., 17(2012), No. 7, p. 33.
[27]	C. Ni, G.Y. Xie, M.G. Jin, Y.L. Peng, and W.C. Xia, The difference in flotation kinetics of various size fractions of bituminous coal between rougher and cleaner flotation processes, Powder Technol., 292(2016), p. 210.
[28]	Z. Pokrajcic, A Methodology for the Design of Energy Efficient Commination Circuits [Dissertation], The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 2010.
[29]	L. Lorenzen and M.J. Barnard, Why is mineralogical data essential for designing a metallurgical test work program for process selection and design?[in] The First AusIMM International Geometallurgy Conference, Brisbane, 2011.
[30]	D. Bradshaw, The role of process mineralogy in improving the process performance of complex sulphide ores,[in] Proceedings of the XXVⅡ International Mineral Processing Congress, Santiago, 2014.
[31]	A.F. Cropp, W.R. Goodall, and D.J. Bradshaw, The influence of textural variation and gangue mineralogy on recovery of copper by flotation from porphyry ore-a review,[in] The Second AusIMM International Geometallurgy Conference, Brisbane, 2013, p. 279.
[32]	E. Whiteman, N.O. Lotter, and S.R. Amos, Process mineralogy as a predictive tool for flowsheet design to advance the Kamoa project, Miner. Eng., 96-97(2016), p. 185.
[33]	N.W. Johnson, Existing methods for process analysis, [in] C.J. Greet, Ed., Flotation Plant Optimization:a Metallurgical Guide to Identifying and Solving Problems in Flotation Plants, The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Perth, 2010, p. 35.
[34]	F. Kazemi, A. Bahrami, and J. Abdolahi Sharif, Determination of the difference in recovery and kinetics of various size fractions of gilsonite in rougher and cleaner flotation processes, Int. J. Min. Geo-Eng., 53(2019). https://doi.org/10.22059/IJMGE.2018.256299.594732.