The article considers a possibility to sulfidize difficultly-processed pyrite copper-zinc ores with the objective to produce selective copper and zinc products, as well as tailings, containing barren rock and partly pyrite, decreasing total quantity of sulfur, entrained in processing. A flotation flow sheet is proposed for processing ore treated with sulfur, application of which provides for copper and zinc grade increase in copper-zinc concentrate from 6.5 and 12.6 to 9.1 and 19.6 %, respectively, with the same metal recovery from starting feed ore (by the applied flow sheet) and sulfidized ore, and with total reagents consumption decreasing by almost twofold. Owing to improved depression of pyrite in bulk flotation process, zinc content increase from 23.5 to 38.8 % is observed in zinc product. Effect of diffusion in phases separation in sulfidizing was studied.

1. Vlasov O. A., Mechev V. V. Obogashchenie Rud, 2010, no 2, pp. 39–43.

2. Mechev V. V., Vlasov O. A., Mechev P. V. Normalnye kolebaniya i fiziko-khimicheskiye svoistva tel (Normal fluctuations and physical-chemical properties of bodies), M., IPTs “Maska”, 2008, 228 p.