Effect of hydrogen peroxide on selective flotation of chalcocite and enargite

Enargite is typically associated with chalcocite.Owing to the similarity in the flotation behaviors of these minerals,both minerals are reported to concentrate in the conventional flotation circuit.However,inorganic arsenic in enargite can decrease the copper concentrate quality and increase the operating cost of processing this concentrate.Separating these minerals is important for cleaner copper production to avoid these effects.In this context,this study investigated the effect of hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2))treatment on the flotation behavior of chalcocite and enargite.Flotation tests of pure and mixed minerals indicated that H_(2)O_(2)treatment reduced the floatability of chalcocite and enargite by forming sulfate and copper hydroxide on their surfaces.Despite the detrimental effect of the H_(2)O_(2)treatment,there was a narrow window of H_(2)O_(2)concentration for separating both minerals,in which enargite floated and chalcocite was depressed.This selective flotation behavior was caused by the rapid adsorption of potassium amyl xanthate(KAX)and lower surface oxidation of enargite compared with that of chalcocite.

Mechanism study on flotation separation of molybdenite from chalcocite using thioglycollic acid as depressant

Effects of collectors(butyl xanthate(BX), O-isopropyl-N-sulfur ethyl carbamate(Z-200) and emulsified kerosene), dereagent(sodium sulfide) and depressant thioglycollic acid(TGA) on the flotation of chalcocite and molybdenite were investigated through flotation. The first principle theory was adopted to understand the difference of their surfaces and reaction between minerals and reagents. Results of flotation tests revealed that selectivity of emulsified kerosene is the best of three collectors in separation of chalcocite and molybdenite, though the others also display excellent collecting properties. Sodium sulfide can effectively remove collectors adsorbed on chalcocite surface, and TGA is an effective depressant of chalcocite at pH 8-9. Through first principle study, molybdenite displays relatively stronger covalence property while bonding interaction between copper atoms in chalcocite enhanced its ionicity. Bonding interaction is weaker in reaction of TGA and molybdenite, so it shows higher hydrophobicity and better flotability. Therefore, TGA is an effective inhibitor in the separation.

Effect of CO_2 and N_2 on microbial community changes during column bioleaching of low-grade high pyrite-bearing chalcocite ore

Simulated heap bioleaching of low-grade high pyrite-bearing chalcocite ore was conducted at 40 °C with aeration of CO_2 and N_2.Ore samples were collected at day 43,64,85,106 and subjected to microbial community analysis by 16S rRNA gene clone library.Phylogenetic analyses of 16S rDNA fragments revealed that the retrieved sequences are mainly related to genus Acidithiobacillus,Leptospirillum and Sulfobacillus.Aeration of CO_2 and N_2 significantly impacted the microbial community composition.When CO_2 was aerated,the proportion of genus Acidithiobacillus considerably increased,whereas the proportion of genus Leptospirillum and genus Sulfobacillus declined.However,with the aeration of N_2,the proportion of genus Acidithiobacillus and Leptospirillum increased,but genus Sulfobacillus decreased.When there was no aeration,the microbial community was similar to the inocula with the proportion of genus Leptospirillum mounted.These results indicated that the limitation of oxygen could change the bioleaching microbial community and the aeration of CO_2 and N_2 was favourable for the growth of sulfur-oxidizer(At.caldus) and iron-oxidizer(L.ferriphilum) respectively,which could be used for the regulation of microorganisms' role in mineral bioleaching.

Chalcocite(bio)hydrometallurgy-current state,mechanism,and future directions:A review

There has been a strong interest in technologies suited for mining and processing of low-grade ores because of the rapid depletion of mineral resources in the world.In most cases,the extraction of copper from such raw materials is achieved by applying the leaching procedures.However,its low extraction efficiency and the long extraction period limit its large-scale commercial applications in copper recovery,even though bioleaching has been widely employed commercially for heap and dump bioleaching of secondary copper sulfide ores.Overcoming the technical challenges requires a better understanding of leaching kinetics and on-site microbial activities.Herein,this paper reviews the current status of main commercial biomining operations around the world,identifies factors that affect chalcocite dissolution both in chemical leaching and bioleaching,summarizes the related kinetic research,and concludes with a discussion of two on-site chalcocite heap leaching practices.Further,the challenges and innovations for the future development of chalcocite hydrometallurgy are presented in the end.

Control of redox potential by oxygen limitation in selective bioleaching of chalcocite and pyrite

Based on the bioleaching mechanism and electrochemical studies of metal sulfides, the dissolution rates of chalcocite and pyrite are controlled by redox potentials. Experiment on the bioleaching of chalcocite and pyrite under constant redox potential by sparging with nitrogen gas was demonstrated. By leaching at low and constant redox potential（〈760 mV, vs SHE）, copper recoveries of 90 %–98 % are achieved, which are 10 times more than iron recoveries. The iron-oxidizing bacterial populations are observed to continue to reduce under oxygen limitation conditions, but the Acidithiobacillus that have only sulfur-oxidizing capabilities are an attractive alternative for redox-controlled bioleaching of chalcocite.Thus, the described redox control technique might be one of the effective approaches to balance acid and iron in Zijinshan copper bio-heap leaching practice.

Linking leach chemistry and microbiology of low-grade copper ore bioleaching at different temperatures

The effects of temperature on chalcocite/pyrite oxidation and the microbial population in the bioleaching columns of a low-grade chalcocite ore were investigated in this study. Raffinate from the industrial bioleaching heap was used as an irrigation solution for columns operated at 20, 30, 45, and 60℃. The dissolution of copper and iron were investigated during the bioleaching processes, and the microbial community was revealed by using a high-throughput sequencing method. The genera of Ferroplasma, Acidithiobacillus, Leptospirillum, Acidiplasma, and Sulfobacillus dominated the microbial community, and the column at a higher temperature favored the growth of moderate thermophiles. Even though microbial abundance and activity were highest at 30℃, the column at a higher temperature achieved a much higher Cu leaching efficiency and recovery, which suggested that the promotion of chemical oxidation by elevated temperature dominated the dissolution of Cu. The highest pyrite oxidation percentage was detected at 45℃. Higher temperature resulted in precipitation of jarosite in columns, especially at 60℃. The results gave implications to the optimization of heap bioleaching of secondary copper sulfide in both enhanced chalcocite leaching and acid/iron balance, from the perspective of leaching temperature and affected microbial community and activity.

Acid-base characterization of foursulfide minerals

The amphoteric properties of four sulfide minerals were characterized byacidimetric-alkalimetric titration. Chalcocite, galena, and sphalerite were found to bediprotic acids, while pyrite was determined to be a triprotic acid. Intrinsic acidity con-stants for the four minerals are as follows: chalcocite-pK_(a1)=5.25, pK_(a2)=9.68;galena- pK_(a1)=5.26, pK_(a2)=9.62; sphalente- pK_(a1)= 5.08, pK_(a2)= 9.13;and pyrite - pK_(a1) = 3.50,pK_(a2)=5.32, pK_(a3)=9.81.