Two main methods for flotation of copper oxide ores

Most copper deposits have oxidation zones, and most of them form independent large and medium-sized copper oxide deposits. Therefore, the development and utilization of copper oxide ores is of great significance. This article mainly introduces the two main methods of copper oxide flotation: direct flotation and sulfide flotation.

Direct Flotation

As the name suggests, direct flotation is a flotation method that uses a collector to directly flotate copper oxide. It is mainly aimed at copper oxide with relatively simple mineral properties and simple structure. The performance of the collector is the direct factor and quality that affects its flotation efficiency. .

According to the corresponding collector, direct flotation method can be divided into the following categories.

(1) Fatty acid: used in the early stage of copper oxide flotation, fatty acid salts are often used as collectors, and the effect is remarkable. The cost is lower, but only for malachite or higher grade ores.

(2) Amines: Amine collectors can also be cationic collectors. They are the most commonly used collectors in the flotation of colored oxide ores. They have strong collection capabilities for copper oxide and are mainly used for malachite, Copper oxide minerals such as azurite, especially deposits containing copper and zinc.

(3) Chelating collector: The chelating agent is characterized by its extremely high selectivity in copper oxide flotation. It can selectively adsorb on all minerals containing certain elements and is not easily affected by the properties of these minerals. , forming stable chelates with metal ions. Therefore, using integration, higher selectivity and capture effects can be obtained.

(4) Phosphoric acid: This type of collector mainly uses phosphate and dimethyl hypophosphorous acid in copper oxide flotation. Research data shows that dimethyl hypophosphorous acid is very effective for the flotation of mud-like fine-grained refractory malachite.

Sulfide Flotation

Sulfide flotation is the main method for copper oxide flotation at home and abroad. Copper oxide is mainly malachite, azurite, and cuprite, which can obtain better flotation indicators.

Sulfide flotation is a process in which the ground copper oxide slurry is added to an appropriate sulfurizing agent for sulfurization, and then collecting agents such as sodium sulfide and sodium hydrogen sulfide are added for copper oxide flotation. After sulfidation, a copper sulfide film is formed on the surface of the copper oxide, giving it the surface properties of copper sulfide, and then a collector is used for flotation. so. The sulfidation process is directly related to the quality and efficiency of copper oxide flotation.