Development of Flotation of Chalcopyrite

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2024 | Viewed by 808

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Guest Editor
1. Department of Metallurgical Engineering, Universidad de Concepcion, Concepción 4070371, Chile
2. Principal Researcher of the Water Research Center for Agriculture and Mining CRHIAM (ANID/FONDAP/15130015), Victoria 1295, Barrio Universitario, Concepción, Chile
Interests: surface chemistry; froth flotation; rheology of mineral suspensions; geometallurgy; clay minerals in flotation; seawater in mineral processing; sensors development
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Dear Colleagues,

Chalcopyrite is an important sulfide mineral in the process of flotation because it is the primary source of copper in many ore deposits. Flotation is the most widely used method for concentrating chalcopyrite. Flotation of chalcopyrite includes complex phenomena that utilize different chemicals (collectors, frothers and modifiers) and conditions to separate the mineral from gangue minerals such as silicates and pyrite.

The flotation of chalcopyrite from porphyry and non-porphyry ores is influenced by a variety of factors that can impact the efficiency of the separation process. Some of the key factors affecting chalcopyrite flotation from porphyry ores include mineralogy (grain size, associations, liberation, gangue, phyllosilicates, etc.), particle size, physicochemical conditions (pH, reagents, and Eh), water quality, equipment and process design, etc. Understanding and optimizing these factors are essential for achieving efficient chalcopyrite flotation and maximizing the recovery of valuable copper minerals while minimizing the loss of valuable minerals and the generation of waste. Continuous research and process improvements aim to address these factors and enhance the sustainability and effectiveness of chalcopyrite flotation processes.

We sincerely invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, entitled “Development of Flotation of Chalcopyrite”. Papers from academia and industry are welcome.

Dr. Leopoldo Gutierrez
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • chalcopyrite
  • flotation
  • copper sulfides
  • water quality
  • clays
  • seawater

Published Papers (1 paper)

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11 pages, 1534 KiB  
Article
The Effect of an Anionic Polyacrylamide on the Flotation of Chalcopyrite, Enargite, and Bornite
by Ginna Jimenez, Pablo Cabrera, Angie Rodriguez, Camilo Cuervo and Leopoldo Gutierrez
Minerals 2024, 14(7), 634; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/min14070634 - 21 Jun 2024
Viewed by 406
Abstract
Water recycling in mining is essential to decrease water usage, which results in the accumulation of high concentrations of inorganic and organic substances in the process water. Consequently, adverse impacts on the flotation process of copper sulfides may arise. High-molecular-weight polymers based on [...] Read more.
Water recycling in mining is essential to decrease water usage, which results in the accumulation of high concentrations of inorganic and organic substances in the process water. Consequently, adverse impacts on the flotation process of copper sulfides may arise. High-molecular-weight polymers based on anionic polyacrylamides (PAMs) are used as tailing flocculants in mineral processing plants. The recirculation of water recovered from the tailing thickeners to the flotation process introduces residual PAMs, which can impact the flotation of important copper sulfides like chalcopyrite, bornite, and enargite. This issue has been rarely studied. In this work, results on the effect of an anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) of medium–low anionicity on the flotation of chalcopyrite, enargite, and bornite are reported and analyzed. The results show that PAM molecules depress the flotation of chalcopyrite, enargite, and bornite under a wide range of pH values. The experimental data indicate that the depressing effect of PAMs on copper sulfides increases with pH. The zeta potential results reveal that this parameter becomes less negative with the addition of PAMs, indicating interactions between PAM molecules and the surfaces of the copper sulfides. PAM adsorption on copper sulfides increases with pH, which correlates with the flotation and zeta potential data. It is proposed that the interactions between PAM molecules and copper sulfides are explained by the presence of surface iron and copper hydroxides that create chemically active adsorption sites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Flotation of Chalcopyrite)
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