Recovery of copper and cobalt in the comparative flotation of a sulfide ore using xanthate and dithiophosphate as collectors

Meschack Muanda Mukunga

Copper and cobalt are two major metals used in industry. They play a role in widely many domains like that electricity, chemistry and electrochemistry. They are contained into several minerals like chalcopyrite, carrolite, chalcocite, etc. associated to pyrite. The froth flotation and behaviors of chalcocite and carrolite were investigated through many flotation tests in order to recovery copper and cobalt. This paper investigates the effect of potassium amyl xanthate (PAX) and sodium dibutyl dithiophosphate (DANA) performance on both copper and cobalt recovery in single roughing flotation. The effect of pH on the flotation is proposed. Some parameters were kept constant such as particle size d80=75 μm, pulp density 10% solids, impeller speed 1300 rpm, and PAX doses of DANA (105 g/t per each) as collectors, dose of DF250 (5 drops) as frother, dose of Na₂SiO₃ (200 g/t) as dispersant and depressant. Only the pulp pH was varied from the natural pH to 11, using Ca(OH)₂ as regulator. According to results, PAX (105 g/t) was found as the best collector for recovery of copper both at natural pH and pH=11. At natural pH, the concentrate was found at 16.1% copper recovery with a yield of 99.63%. At pH=11, the concentrate was found at 16.1% copper recovery with a yield of 99.05%. For the recovery of cobalt, DANA (105 g/t) was found better as the collector at natural pH producing a concentrate at 0.51% cobalt recovery yield of 76.48%. At pH=11, PAX (105 g/t) was found better as the collector. The concentrate was found at 0.91% cobalt with a recovery yield of 85.13%.

https://dx.doi.org/10.31873/IJEAS.6.7.2019.06