JSC Institute of Metallurgy and Ore Bebefication, Satbayev University (Almaty, Kazakhstan):

Semushkina L. V., Leading Researcher, Candidate of Engineering Sciences, syomushkina.lara@mail.ru
Abdykirova G. Zh., Leading Researcher, Candidate of Engineering Sciences, abdgul@mail.ru
Turysbekov D. K., Leading Researcher, Candidate of Engineering Sciences, dula80@mail.ru
Narbekova S. М., Researcher, s.narbekova@mail.ru

Special attention in improving reagent usage regimes and flotation reagent selectivity is paid to the development of modified collectors based on xanthates, dithiophosphates, and dithiocarbamates, as these lower the total collector consumption and ensure higher collecting capacity. This work covers the studies on the potential use of a modified reagent in flotation processing of non-ferrous metal ores. The studies were conducted using copper ore samples from a deposit in Kazakhstan. According to the chemical assay data, the sample contained 0.45 wt% of copper. In order to improve metal recovery into the concentrate, the basic collector of sodium butyl xanthate was replaced in the rougher and scavenger copper flotation stages with a modified reagent, a dispersed 1 : 1 mixture of sodium butyl xanthate and thionocarbamate. With an optimal dispersion time of 1 minute, 99.5 % of the emulsion droplets reached a particle size of less than 1.6 μm. It has been shown that a dispersed modified flotation reagent emulsion interacts more effectively with the surfaces of sulfide copper minerals. A contact angle study using a chalcopyrite section has shown that the reagent mix has the highest adsorption on chalcopyrite, as compared with butyl xanthate and thionocarbamate. Flotation with the basic collector yielded a copper concentrate with a copper grade of 21.5 wt% and recovery of 83.3 %; the use of a modified collector allowed improving copper recovery into the copper concentrate by 5.1 % and isolating a copper concentrate with a copper grade of 21.8 wt% and a recovery of 88.4 %.
The research was carried out with the financial support of the Science Committee of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan under grants No. AR08855565 and No. AR09259372.

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