Bornite Flotation Lab Test

Vega and Molina (4) used a Hallimond tube with sample of Bornite whose composition was: bornite 80.22%, chalcocite 13.92%, chalcopyrite 0.84%, hematite 0.84%, pyrite 0.28%, and gangue 3.90%. Head assay was Cu 59.67%, Fe 9.90%.

During flotation test was used sodium isopropyl xanthate, amilic alcohol, sodium sulphide. Tests were focused on sulphidisation in order to eliminate superficial oxidation. Conditioning step comprised addition of xanthate and frother.

a) Floatability.

Fig. 6 shows Bornite recovery in function of the dosage of collector on pH 9.0. Curve presents higher recoveries against the dosage of collector. This behavior is not common if we consider the floatability that has most of copper sulphides. Anomalous behavior is in direct relation with changes on Bornite surface. This problem can be solutioned using sulphidisation before conditioning. Curve 2 shows an improvement recovery using sodium sulphide (10 mg/l). Conditioning time is the same in both cases.

b) Collector adsorption.

Fig. 7 and 8 present recovery and collector adsorption against conditioning time. With 5 mg/l adsorption grows with the time. This behavior confirms the formation of many layers of xanthate. Sulphidisation was done with 10 mg/l of sodium sulphide.

Fig. 9 shows the Ph effect on copper recovery. Can be noted that with pH 10 recovery begin to decrease obtaining a recovery of 30% when pH is 12.

c) Sodium Sulphide and its negative effect on flotation.: For an addition around 20 mg/l the sodium sulphide can depress Bornite because HS- is liberated in solution but this action is short because dixanthogen is reduced and also there is a movement in cuprous xanthate adsorbed. During the first minutes xanthate is desorbed from the surface of Bornite noting a recovery less than 10% while there is residual collector. After finishing the depressant effect, appear adsorption conditions and there is an increase on adsorbed.

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