A depressant for marmatite flotation:Synthesis,characterisation and floatation performance

This study synthesised a zincic salt(ZS)as a depressant for marmatite-galena separation.The effect of ZS on the flotation of marmatite and galena was investigated through micro-flotation tests.88.89%of the galena was recovered and 83.39%of the marmatite was depressed with ZS dosage of 750 mg·L^(−1)at pH=4.The depression mechanism of ZS on marmatite was investigated by a variety of techniques,including adsorption measurements,Fourier transform infrared(FTIR),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic(XPS)analysis,and time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry(ToF-SIMS).Results of adsorption tests and FTIR reveal that ZS adsorbed on marmatite surface and impeded the subsequent adsorption of butyl xanthate(BX).The results of XPS and ToF-SIMS indicate that the ZnO_(2)^(3-)released by ZS could be chemisorbed on the marmatite surface and depress marmatite flotation.

Floc flotation of marmatite fines in aqueous suspensions induced by butyl xanthate and ammonium dibutyl dithiophosphate

The hydrophobic flocculation of marmatite fines in aqueous suspensions induced by butyl xanthate （KBX） and ammonium dibutyl dithiophosphate （ADD） was investigated using laser particle size analysis, microscopy analysis, electrophoretic light scattering, contact angle measurement and infrared spectroscopy. The studies were performed on single minerals with size 〈20 μm by varying several parameters, including pH, collector concentration and kerosene addition. The results show that the floc fotation closely correlated with the size of flocs and the particle hydrophobicity, but was not lowered with increasing the particle surface charges due to collector adsorption. Under good operating conditions, the floc flotation of marmatite fines as a function of KBX and ADD can all reach floatability over 90%, in comparison with conventional flotation obtaining floatability of about 60%. It also has been found that a small addition of kerosene greatly improved the floc flotation because of the formation of oil films on marmatite particles. The results of FTIR spectra indicate that adsorption of the two collectors onto marmatite were chemical adsorption.

Bioleaching and electrochemical property of marmatite by Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans

Bioleaching and electrochemical experiments were conducted to evaluate marmatite dissolution in the presence of pure S.thermosulfidooxidans.The effects of particle size,p H controlling and external addition of Fe^3＋ ions on the zinc extraction were investigated.The results show that in the bioleaching process the best particle size range is 0.043-0.074 mm and adjusting p H regularly to the initial value has a profound effect on obtaining high leaching rate.External addition of Fe^3＋ ions could accelerate the bioleaching,while the concentration of additional Fe^3＋ over 2.5 g/L weakens the positive effect,and even hinders the dissolution of marmatite.SEM and XRD analyses of the leaching residues reveal that a product layer composed of elemental sulfur and jarosite is formed on the mineral surface,which results in a low leaching speed at later phase.The results of electrochemical measurements illustrate that additional Fe^3＋ ions could increase the corrosion current density,which is favorable to zinc extraction.The EIS spectra show that rate-limiting step does not change when Fe^3＋ ions are added.

Bioleaching and electrochemical property of marmatite by Leptospirillum ferrooxidans

The effects of several variables on the bioleaching of marmatite with pure L. ferrooxidans were investigated. The results show that zinc extraction increases with the decrease of pulp density. Adjusting pH tol.6 during the bioleaching process has a positive effect to the dissolution of marmatite. External addition of Fe^3＋ ions accelerates the bioleaching, while the concentration of additional Fe^3＋ over 2.5 g/L weakens the acceleration effect due to the inhibition effect on bacteria growth and the promotion of jarosite production. The electrochemical measurements were used to make further understanding on the dissolution of marmatite with and without additional Fe^3＋ in the presence of L. ferrooxidans. The experimental data illustrate that additional Fe^3＋ ions could increase the corrosion current density, which is favorable to zinc extraction. The EIS spectra show that rate-limiting step does not change when Fe^3＋ is added.

Molecular structures and activity of organic depressants for marmatite,jamesonite and pyrite flotation

Ten kinds of organic depressants were used to investigate the depressing performance on marmatite and pyrite.Flotation results show that the organic compounds only with single group of hydroxyl(-OH),carboxyl(-COOH) or amino(-NH2) in molecule are ineffective in depressing marmatite,jamesonite and pyrite.The combinations of these functional groups still cannot enhance the depressing ability of organic depressant.The thioglycollic acid containing reductive functional group(-SH) has a good depressing performance for marmatite and pyrite.The presence of benzene ring in molecule can enhance the depressing performance.The functional group electronegativity,hydrophilic-hydrophobic indexes and frontier orbital of organic depressants were calculated,and the criterion for the depressing effect of organic depressants to sulphide minerals was proposed.

Determination of Fe and Zn contents and distributions in natural sphalerite/marmatite by various analysis methods

The contents of Fe and Zn in natural sphalerite samples were determined by chemical titration and spectroscopic techniques(portable X-ray fluorescence(P-XRF) spectrometry, electron probe microanalysis with energy dispersive spectroscopy(EPMA-EDS), electron probe microanalysis with wavelength dispersive spectroscopy(EPMA-WDS), and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry(To F-SIMS)). Besides, the distribution of Fe and Zn in sphalerite samples was analyzed by imaging EPMA-WDS and imaging To F-SIMS. The results show that Fe and Zn contents determined by each spectroscopic technique have good linearity with those determined by chemical titration(R^2>0.77), and the R^2 values of Fe are generally greater than those of Zn. The imaging analysis results revealed that Fe and Zn are not uniformly distributed in the sphalerite.

Synthesis of glycerine-xanthate and its depressing mechanism in separation of marmatite from arsenopyrite

A small molecular organic depressor glycerine-xanthate was synthesized. The effect of glycerine-xanthate on the flotation of sulfide minerals was investigated based on a function of pH value and concentration of glycerine-xanthate through flotation experiments in the presence and absence of Cu^2＋. The results show that glycerinee-xanthate has a strong dressing effect on marmatite at pH〉6 and on arsenopyrite in weak acid and base conditions with butyl-xanthate as collector. In the presence of glycerine -xanthate, marmatite is activated by addition of Cu^2＋, but arsenopyrite cannot be activated and remains unfloatable. So the selective separation can be achieved for two minerals. The depression of glycerine-xanthate on sulfide minerals was discussed based on the radical electronegative calculation and the theory of HSAB. Infrared spectrum shows that there are some -OH and-CSS-in glycedne-xanthate molecule, which competes with butyl-xanthate on the mineral surface. As a result of many hydrophilic groups in glycerine-xanthate, the surfaces of marmatite and arsenopyrite become hydrophilic, thus the flotation of marmatite and arsenopyrite is depressed. The collector is adsorbed preferentially on the surface of marmatite and it shows a better floatability in the presence of Cu^2＋, whereas, the surface of arsenopyrite absorbs glycerine-xanthate and the flotation of arsenopyrite is depressed by glycerine-xanthate.

Effect of 2-aminothiophenol on the separation of jamesonite and marmatite

The minerals jamesonite and marmatite have similar surface properties.Separating them using a flotation method is inefficient.For separation of lead and zinc the lead mineral is generally floated preferentially to the zinc mineral,which appears in the sinks.In this study a new of collector,2-aminothiophenol,is introduced that can float a zinc mineral,as a product entrapped in foam,preferentially.Single mineral flotation tests revealed that 2-aminothiophenol has good selectivity for flotation of marmatite. An artificial mixture of minerals used in a flotation test showed that 2-aminothiophenol can effectively separate marmatite from jamesonite.A product assaying at 45.06%Zn and 4.06%Pb was produced.FTIR spectra were employed to probe the adsorption mechanism of 2-aminothiophenol onto marmatite.The results indicate that adsorption of 2-aminothiophenol onto jamesonite and marmatite were,respectively,physical adsorption and chemical adsorption.This agrees with the flotation results.

Effects of copper ions on dissolution mechanism of marmatite

The dissolution mechanism of marmatite in the presence of Cu^(2+)was intensively studied by experiments and density functional theory(DFT) calculations. Leaching experiments showed that Cu^(2+)accelerated marmatite dissolution at high temperatures(above 55 ℃), but the trend was reversed at low temperatures(below 45 ℃), which may be because the reaction mechanism between Cu^(2+)and marmatite changed from surface adsorption to bulk substitution with increasing temperature. The substitution reaction caused more zinc atoms in the marmatite crystal lattice to be released and enhanced the electrochemical reactivity, while the adsorption of copper ions at low temperatures would passivate marmatite, thus inhibiting the reaction process. DFT calculations showed that the energy of the substitution reaction was more negative than that of the adsorption reaction at high temperatures, which further verified the proposed mechanism.

Kinetics of carbothermic reduction of marmatite in presence of lime

The direct carbothermic reduction of marmatite in the presence of lime was studied by thermogravimetric method to determine the technical feasibility to produce Zn(g)without polluting with SO2(g).X-ray diffraction analysis of partially reacted samples indicated that the reduction occurred through the formation of ZnCaOS and Ca2Fe2O5 as intermediate products to yield Zn(g),and solid Fe and Ca S as the final products.Temperature had the major effect on the rate of reduction.Complete conversion of marmatite was obtained at 1100℃in about 10 min using 300 mg samples with molar ratio of(Zn,Fe)S:CaO:C equal to 1:1:1.The kinetics of the overall reduction reaction was analyzed by the model ln(1-X)=-kt,which represented the data well up to a fractional conversion of 0.95 in the temperature range of 1000-1150℃.The determined activation energy in this temperature range was 257 k J/mol.The results demonstrated the technical feasibility to produce Zn(g)by this method without producing noxious SO2(g)emissions.

Electrochemical flotation separation of marmatite from pyrrhotite in the presence of copper ion

In the presence of Cu 2+ ion, and pH range of 2.0 to 12.0, the floatability of pyrrhotite and marmatite is well, so marmatite can not be separated from pyrrhotite. The technique of electrochemical flotation was used to separate marmatite from pyrrhotite in the presence of Cu 2+ . Pyrrhotite can be depressed and marmatite be floated through controlling the potential of flotation. Marmatite can be separated from pyrrhotite in the pulp potential range of -0.25 V to 0 V (vs SHE) at pH11.2 solution. The chronopotentiometry results of pyrrhotite and marmatite in the presence of Cu 2+ and butyl xanthate showed that, when the pH is 11.2 and the pulp potential is -0.2 V (vs SHE), the CuX 2 is adsorbed on marmatite surface, and the dixanthogen adsorbed on pyrrhotite surface is reduced.

Bioleaching of marmatite using moderately thermophilic bacteria

The process of bioleaching marmatite using moderately thermophilic bacteria was studied by comparing marmatite leaching performance of mesophiles and moderate thermophiles and valuating the effect of venting capacity as well as pulp density on marmatite leaching performance of moderate thermophiles. The results show that moderate thermophiles have more advantages over mesophilies in bioleaching marmatite at 45 ℃ and the pulp density of 50 g/L, and the zinc extraction efficiency reaches 93.1% in 20 d. Aeration agitation can improve the transfer of O2 and CO2 in solution and promote the growth of bacteria and therefore, enhance the leaching efficiency. Under the venting levels of 50, 200 and 800 mL/min, the zinc extraction efficiencies by moderate thermophiles are 57.8%, 92.5% and 96.0%, respectively. With the increase of pulp density, the total leaching amount of valuable metals increases, however, the extraction efficiency decreases due to many reasons, such as increasing shear force leading to poorly growth condition for bacteria, etc. The zinc extraction decreases remarkably to 58.9% while the pulp density mounts up 20%.

Kinetics of indium dissolution from marmatite with high indium content in pressure acid leaching

The kinetics of oxygen pressure acid leaching marmatite with high indium content was studied. The effects of particle size, agitation rate, temperature, HSOconcentration, and oxygen partial pressure on leaching rate of indium were investigated. The results show that when the agitation rate is above 600 r-min, its influence on indium leaching rate is insignificant. It is determined that the leaching rates increase with the increase in sulfuric acid concentration, temperature, partial oxygen pressure, and the decrease in particle size. Moreover, the results demonstrate that the process of indium leaching is controlled by interface chemical reaction, with apparent activation energy of 65.7 k J-mol. The apparent reaction orders of sulfuric acid and oxygen partial pressure are determined to be 0.749 and 1.260, respectively. The leaching reaction process follows shrinking unreacted core model. And finally, the kinetics model equation is established for indium.

Collectorless flotation of marmatite with pine oil

The interaction between pine oil and marmatite without collectors and activators was investigated by flotation,scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive spectrometer（SEM-EDS）,infrared（IR） spectroscopy,Zeta potential,and first-principle theory calculations.The flotation results show that marmatite exhibits considerable floatability with the addition of pine oil.SEM-EDS results show that carbon atomic ratios on the surface are significantly high,which suggests that the flotation of marmatite is caused by the adsorption of pine oil.Further evidence of the adsorption mechanism was given by IR,and Zeta potential examining pine oil depends on the physical adsorption on the surface independently.The first-principle theory calculations indicate that pine oil molecule adsorbs on Zn and Fe atom surfaces by ionic bond and covalent bond of adsorption energies of-1.23and-1.51 eV,respectively.P orbital of O atom,s orbital of Zn atom,and d orbital of Fe are the major participants.

铁成分对硫化锌精矿的半导体性质及化学反应性的影响

硫化锌精矿(以下简称精矿)除含有主要元素锌与硫外,还含有其它元素,尤其是含有相当多的铁。在湿法处理精矿时,其铁成分的行为取决于铁的矿物存在形式。精矿中的铁可以铁闪锌矿[(Zn,Fe)S)、黄铁矿、黄铜矿的形式存在。铁闪锌矿的铁含量可在很大的范围内变化,其物理化学性质也随铁含量而变化,因此对精矿的湿法直接处理产生很大的影响。本文研究出一种可靠的、确定精矿矿物组成的化学分析方法,着重于测定铁在精矿各矿物中的分布,及铁闪锌矿铁含量的变化规律。在此基础上,实验研究了精矿中的铁(尤其是铁闪锌矿中的铁)对精矿的半导体性质的影响规律,应用半导体电化学原理讨论了精矿铁含量对精矿的直接浸出(常压、硫酸介质)的影响机理。

Bioleaching of complex polymetallic sulfide ores by mixed culture

Bacterial leaching of single sulfide minerals and polymetallic sulfide ores was operated in shake flasks and small-scaled columns.The results show that bioleaching of jamesonite is not accessible,the iron extraction rate of pyrrhotite bioleaching reaches 98.2% after 26 d,and the zinc extraction rate of marmatite bioleaching reaches 92.3%,while the corresponding iron extraction reaches only 13.6% after 29 d.Pulp density has a significant effect on metal extraction of pyrrhotite and marmatite bioleaching.The corresponding metal extraction rate decreases with the increase of pulp density.For the polymetallic sulfide ores,zinc extraction of 97.1% is achieved after bioleaching in shake flasks for 10 d,while only 7.8% is obtained after bioleaching in small-scaled column.Analytical results of scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis(EDX) reveal that large amount of calcium sulfate is formed on the mineral surface.