NPP Qualitet LLC, Lyubertsy, Moscow Region, Russia

A. S. Medzhibovskiy, Chairman of the Board, Doctor of Technical Science, Professor
M. N. Naftal, Deputy Director, Candidate of Technical Science, e-mail: qualitetmet@mail.ru

Siberian Federal University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia

Ya. Yu. Fedotova, Postgraduate Student

D. A. Kizyaev, Postgraduate Student

Almalyk MMC JSC, Almalyk, Uzbekistan
N. G. Solomko, Lead Beneficiation Engineer (Complex Ores), Engineering Department
O. V. Proskuryakova, Process Engineer at the Prototype Concentrator Plant of the Centre for the Development and Implementation of Innovative Technology

Porphyry copper ore deposits belong to the main sources of copper, molybdenum, as well as gold, silver and a number of concomitant elements – such as rare, precious and trace elements. Countries with developed copper industries (and Uzbekistan is one of them) are working on establishing major processing sites, which are to process huge amounts of porphyry copper ores for dozens of years to come. One of the key problems related to the beneficiation of such ores is high losses of copper, molybdenum, gold and silver, which get wasted with tailings. Use of effective collecting agents during flotation is the most promising way to minimize such losses. A trial that was conducted with the gold-bearing porphyry copper ores of the Oliy Ziyo deposit developed by the Almalyk MMC (the Kalmakyr and Yoshlik-I areas) helped establish that the Qualitet reagents help raise the recovery of copper, molybdenum and gold, improve the flotation process kinetics and save the use of less effective reagents. The authors note that one could significantly decrease the specific consumption of butyl xanthate, spindle oil and T-92 frothing agent avoiding affecting the overall flotation performance. Based on the obtained results of the laboratory study, it is recommended to conduct pilot tests for the proposed reagents on a unit housed by the pilot concentrator plant of the Almalyk MMC. Two different reagent modes are recommended for testing the ore from the Kalmakyr deposit: a combination of AFI-4G10K and DP-4 in combination with butyl xanthate; a combination of M-TF-421 and butyl xanthate.
Active contributors to this research study include A. A. Abdukadyrov from Almalyk MMC, M. I. Khersonskiy from Gintsvetmet Institute, as well as I. A. Kazin, A. V. Dementiev, E. A. Bliev, L. V. Antonenko, A. M. Saynazarov, G. V. Ivanova, N. A. Bagryanskiy, N. T. Zhuk.

1. Naboychenko S. S. Copper industry in the Ural region: Stages of development and prospects. MetalSpace. Available at: https://metalspace.ru/production-science/history/1548-ehtapy-sozdaniya-i-perspektivy-razvitiyaproizvodstva-medi-na-urale.html (06.02.2017). Accessed: 29.07.2022.
2. Copper industry. Available at: http://рустрана.рф/article.php?nid=33631. (11.10.2007). Accessed: 29.07.2022.
3. Key copper market trends. Metals market review. Copper (Cu). Yearly report by MMC Norilsk Nickel for 2020. Available at: https://ar2020.nornickel.ru/commodity-market-overview/copper. Accessed: 28.07.2022.
4. Gulguu B., Kuzmin Yu. V. Copper price as a world economy development indicator. Izvestiya Irkutskoy gosudarstvennoy ekonomicheskoy akademii. 2015. Vol. 25, No. 4. pp. 700–707.
5. Copper. Global copper offer and demand outlook. Available at: http://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_144190/b7650296d1989f6d61cc9ae340218b53f1a3bb43/. Accessed: 28.07.2022.
6. Copper market. Analytical review. Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company. Analytics office. Available at: https://ugmk.com/upload/medialibrary/db0/UMMC_Key-markets-review_H1_2020.pdf. Accessed: 28.07.2022.
7. Khramtsova I. N., Medzhibovskiy A. S., Tsymbal A. S. et al. Application of collecting agents produced by NPP QUALITET in advanced flotation processing of sulphide ores of non-ferrous and precious metals. Non-Ferrous Metals and Minerals 2019: Proceedings of the 11th International Congress. Krasnoyarsk, 16–18 September 2019. pp. 754–766.
8. Kuznetsova I. A., Maksimov I. I. Development of the processing technology for porphyry copper ores of the Tominsky deposit. Obogashchenie Rud. 2021. No. 2. pp. 9–14.
9. Seravkin I. B., Minibaeva K. R., Rodicheva Z. I. Porphyry copper mineralization of the South Ural region (Review). Geology Institute at the Ufa Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Collected Geology Articles. Book 9. Jubilee issue. Ufa, 2011. pp. 186–200.
10. Dudkin N. V. The Bingham Canyon porphyry copper deposit (USA) – a long-living giant. Available at: https://www.mineral.ru/AToromocho%20-%20nalytics/worldevents/128/263/index.html. Accessed: 28.07.2022.
11. Bukhanova D. S. Typomorphic characteristics of the porphyry copper mineralization. Earth Science Research: Proceedings of the 10^th Regional Youth Science Conference. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, 2012. pp. 5–18.
12. Bukhanova D. S., Kutyrev A. V., Sidorov E. G. et al. The first discovery of platinum group minerals in the ores of the Malmyzh gold/porphyry copper deposit, Khabarovsk Territory, Russia. Zapiski Rossiyskogo Mineralogicheskogo Obshchestva. 2020. Vol. 149, No. 2. pp. 12–21.
13. Bukhanova D. S., Chubarov V. M. Rare earth minerals found in the ores of the Malmyzh gold/porphyry copper deposit (Khabarovsk Territory). Zapiski Rossiyskogo Mineralogicheskogo Obshchestva. 2019. Vol. 148, No. 1. pp. 54–64.
14. Volkov A. V., Savva N. E., Sidorov A. A. et al. Distribution and formation of Cu – Au-porphyry deposits of the North-East part of Russia. Geologiya rudnykh mestorozhdeniy. 2006. Vol. 48, No. 6. pp. 512–539.
15. Avladov I., Saliev T. Developing the geology and reserves of raw materials and their potential inclusion in the Almalyk MMC production cycle. Analytical magazine “Economic Bulletin of Uzbekistan”. 2022. No. 2. pp. 72–75.
16. Khursanov A. Kh. Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex to turn 70! Gornyy vestnik Uzbekistana. 2019. No. 4. pp. 4–5.
17. Krivtsov A. I. Geological basics of assessing and searching for porphyry copper deposits. Moscow : Nedra, 1983. 256 p.
18. Krivtsov A. I., Migachev I. F., Popov V. S. The world’s porphyry copper deposits. Moscow : Nedra, 1986. 236 p.
19. A copper industry cluster to be established in Uzbekistan. This will help more than double the copper output. Available at: https://podrobno.uz/cat/economic/v-uzbekistane-budet-sozdan-klaster-mednoy-promyshlennostieto-pozvolit-uvelichit-proizvodstvo-medi-b/ (29.06.2021). Accessed: 05.08.2022.
20. Khursanov A. Kh. A leader of the CIS non-ferrous metallurgy. Analytical magazine “Economic Bulletin of Uzbekistan”. 2022. No. 2. pp. 66–71.
21. Umarova I. K., Makhmarezhabov D. B., Yuldashev Sh. Kh. Material composition analysis and process flow development for the porphyry copper ores of the Yoshlik-1 deposit. Obogashchenie Rud. 2021. No. 5. pp. 10–14.
22. Medzhibovskiy A. S., Dementiev A. V., Bliev E. A., Khersonskiy M. I. et al. Flotation processing of non-ferrous and precious metals ores optimized on the basis of dialkyldithiophosphates produced by NPP Qualitet and their compositions with other reagents. Current trends in the theory and practice of mining and processing mineral and secondary raw materials: Proceedings of the International Conference marking the 90^th anniversary of the Uralmekhanobr Institute. Yekaterinburg, 6–8 November 2019. pp. 250–253.
23. Belov A. S., Shenderovich E. M. Design cases for Russia’s largest mining and processing enterprises for copper ores. Obogashchenie Rud. 2021. No. 6. pp. 48–52.
24. Asonchik K. М., Aksenova G. Ya., Maksimov I. I., Tasina Т. I. Porphyry copper ore different flotation regimes studies. Obogashchenie Rud. 2017. No. 4. pp. 18–21.
25. Abramov A. A. Ore processing by flotation. 4th revised edition. Moscow : Gornaya kniga, 2016. 595 p.
26. Medzhibovskiy A. S., Naftal M. N. Abdukadyrov A. A. Flotation processing of gold-bearing porphyry copper ores optimized using the collecting agents produced by NPP QUALITET. Metallurgy of Non-Ferrous, Rare and Noble Metals: Proceedings of the 15^th International Conference Named after Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Gennady L. Pashkov. 6–8 September 2022. Krasnoyarsk : Nauchno-innovatsionnyi tsentr, 2022. pp. 61–77.
27. Turakulov Zh. Kh., Mamatkarimov Zh. R., Parpiboev U. A. et al. Changing the reagent mode of flotation of copper-molybdenum ores at a copper concentrator: The case study of Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex. Molodoy uchenyy. 2019. No. 48. pp. 68–73.