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Sodium hexametaphosphate and sodium silicate as dispersants to reduce the

negative effect of kaolinite on the flotation of chalcopyrite in seawater

Article  in  Minerals Engineering · August 2018

DOI: 10.1016/j.mineng.2018.05.008

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 Minerals Engineering 125 (2018) 10–14

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Minerals Engineering
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/mineng

Sodium hexametaphosphate and sodium silicate as dispersants to reduce the T

negative effect of kaolinite on the flotation of chalcopyrite in seawater
⁎
Andres Ramirezb, Ailynne Rojasa, Leopoldo Gutierreza, , Janusz S. Laskowskic
a
Department of Metallurgical Engineering, University of Concepcion, Chile
b
Water Research Centre for Agriculture and Mining (CRHIAM), University of Concepcion, Chile
c
N.B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering, University of British Columbia, Canada

A R T I C LE I N FO A B S T R A C T

Keywords: The interactions between chalcopyrite and kaolinites of different crystallinity, over the pH range from 7 to 12,
Froth flotation are studied. The tests were carried out in seawater, and in a 0.01 M NaCl solution. The effect of the dispersants,
Chalcopyrite flotation sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) and sodium silicate (SS) was evaluated. The results show that both tested
Clay minerals dispersants are able to restore chalcopyrite flotation in the presence of kaolinite in seawater over the pH range
Kaolinite
from 7 to 11.
Seawater flotation
Slime coating
Dispersants

1. Introduction on flotation of chalcopyrite was studied at different pH values, and in

Depletion of major copper deposits forces mining industry to rely
more on the ore bodies of progressively lower content of valuable
components. Currently more complex and finely disseminated ores are
processed in Chile. Low grade ores commonly contain difficult-to-treat
gangue such as phyllosilicates and at the same time shortage of water
forces industry to process copper ores in seawater. In many parts of the
world this is the only sustainable solution (Castro, 2010, 2012; Castro
et al., 2012, 2014). Phyllosilicates affect mineral processing in grinding,
froth flotation, thickening, dewatering and final disposal stages (Zhao
and Peng, 2012). The soft nature of phyllosilicates leads to high levels
of ultra-fine particles generated in the grinding stage, which generates
highly non-Newtonian slurries. Mechanisms related to slime coating
(Uribe et al., 2017, 2016; Zhao and Peng, 2012; Forbes et al., 2014),
changes in the rheological pattern increasing slurry viscosity, coating of
air bubbles with fine clay particles which reduces the available hy-
drophobic surface for particle-bubble attachment (Uribe et al., 2016),
reagent uptake, and changes in froth stability were proposed to explain
the negative effect of phyllosilicates in the process of flotation. How-
ever, the behavior of phyllosilicates, and in particular the behavior of
clay minerals is still unknown when seawater is used to float copper
ores.
Seawater can be treated as 0.6 M NaCl solution with a high content
of Mg2+ and Ca2+ ions. In our previous publication on flotation of Cu-
Mo sulfide ores in seawater (Uribe et al., 2017), the effect of kaolinite
fresh and seawater. The results indicated that in seawater the depres-
sing effect of kaolinite becomes significantly more pronounced above
pH 9. Experiments that were performed using solutions containing in-
dividual cations showed that the depressing action of kaolinite in the
presence of Mg2+ and Ca2+ becomes more harmful at pH values of 9
and 10, respectively, which are the pH values at which the first hy-
droxy-complexes of these divalent cations appear. It was, therefore,
concluded that in seawater the depressing effect of kaolinite on chal-
copyrite may be related to the action of the products of hydrolysis of
magnesium and calcium. Such species can induce heterocoagulation of
kaolinite on chalcopyrite. These conclusions were validated through
flotation tests, induction time measurements, and slime coating tests. It
is to be pointed out that these results are perfectly in line with previous
publications coming from CRHIAM that showed that molybdenite flo-
tation is strongly affected in seawater when pH is raised using lime to
depress pyrite, and that responsible for the depressing effect are mostly
Mg2+ hydrolysis products. The use of dispersants to disperse pre-
cipitating/coagulating hydroxides from the molybdenite surface was
tested, and the results were reported in the paper by Rebolledo et al.
(2016).

⁎
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: lgutierrezb@udec.cl (L. Gutierrez).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mineng.2018.05.008
Received 29 November 2017; Received in revised form 7 March 2018; Accepted 5 May 2018
0892-6875/ © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A. Ramirez et al.
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Samples and reagents
Two different samples of kaolinite provided by the Clay Minerals
Society were used in this work, i.e., a well crystalized (kaolinite 1) and
a less crystalized sample (kaolinite 2). XRD analyses indicated that both
samples had more than 97% of kaolinite with minor amounts of ana-
tase, and other impurities. According to the supplier, kaolinite 1 is well
crystallized with a cation exchange capacity (cec) of 2.0 meq/100 g and
a BET surface area of 10.05 m2/g. Kaolinite 2 is a less crystalized
kaolinite with a cation exchange capacity (cec) of 3.3 meq/100 g and a
BET surface area of 23.5 m2/g. The measured mean particle sizes for
kaolinites 1 and 2 were 8.9 and 8.5 µm, respectively, with 100% of the
particles below 21 and 20 µm, respectively.
The chalcopyrite sample was of a high purity and was prepared from
the mineralized rock specimens obtained from Ward‘s Natural Science
Establishment. The XRD chalcopyrite content of the sample was 98.9%
with minor amounts of quartz (0.8%) and pyrite (0.3%). The chemical
analysis of the samples gave 34.3% Cu, 30.4% Fe, and 35.2% S. For
micro-flotation tests, chalcopyrite was prepared by hand-grinding pure
crystals in a ceramic mortar and pestle to obtain particles in the size
range between 63 and 210 µm. Purification was carried out by using a
magnetic separator to remove some magnetic impurities, and by de-
sliming to remove ultra-fines. Washing with acetone and distilled water
was carried out in order to remove some organic contaminants that
potentially could have been incorporated in the sample during the
process of handling and preparation. As an attempt to reduce sample
oxidation, chalcopyrite was stored in a freezer in sealed in plastic bags
purged with nitrogen, at a temperature of about 1 °C following the
procedure of Ekmekci and Demirel (1997). The effectiveness of the
procedure that was followed to avoid sample oxidation was verified by
performing micro-flotation tests at different times over the 5 months
experimental program. It was verified that the chalcopyrite flotation
was not affected by the sample storage.
Flotation tests were conducted using an artificial copper ore (1% of
Cu) that was prepared by mixing pure chalcopyrite with quartz. This
mixture was first crushed in a cone crusher down to a particle size of –
2 mm, and then wet ground before flotation tests to a particle size
P80 = 150 µm, in a laboratory ball mill, using mild steel balls. The
sample of coarse quartz used to generate the artificial copper ore was
obtained from Wards Natural Science Establishment. XRD indicated
that this was a nearly pure quartz sample. Potassium amyl xanthate
(PAX) and methyl isobutyl carbinol (MIBC) were used as collector and
frother, respectively. Distilled water of electrical conductivity of
21.5 μS/cm was used in all the experiments. pH was adjusted using
sodium hydroxide in all the tests. Sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP)
dispersant was obtained from Sigma Aldrich (97% purity). We used
sodium silicate (SS), Na2SiO3, obtained from Milipore Sigma as sodium
silicate extra pure solution (catalog number 105621).
2.2. Procedures
3
Micro-flotation tests were carried out in a 150 cm Patridge and
Smith glass cell using nitrogen at a flowrate of 20 cm3/min. The flota-
tion feed was prepared mixing 1 g of chalcopyrite (+63–210 μm) with
150 mg of kaolinite 1 or 2 (which gives 13% of kaolinite in the feed).
The solid flotation feed was then mixed with 100 cm3 of 0.01 M NaCl
solutions in distilled water, or seawater. The suspensions were condi-
tioned at the required pH for 3 min. These experiments were carried out
at values of pH ranging from 7 to 12 (representative for the processed
copper sulfide ores). Following 3 min of conditioning, PAX and MIBC
were added at concentrations of 40 and 25 ppm, respectively (based on
the 150 cm3 of the micro-flotation cell), and conditioned for 5 more
minutes at the previously established value of pH. Finally, the gas valve
was opened to start the process of flotation which was carried out for
11
Minerals Engineering 125 (2018) 10–14
2 min, scraping the froth off every 10 s. The pulp level in the micro-
flotation cell was kept constant by adding a background solution pre-
pared at the same composition and pH of the original solution.
Concentrates and tailings were then wet sieved using a 400 mesh sieve
(38 μm) to remove the particles of kaolinite, and to measure the amount
of chalcopyrite in each stream. Finally, samples were dried in an oven
at 105 °C for 5 h and recovery was calculated dividing the mass of
chalcopyrite in the concentrate by the mass of chalcopyrite in con-
centrate plus in the tailings. All the tests were conducted in triplicates
and thus the results presented in this paper are average values, with the
largest standard deviation being 1.4 percentage points.
Additional micro-flotation tests were carried out to study the effect
of Mg2+ hydrolysis products on the floatability of chalcopyrite at dif-
ferent redox potential conditions. In these tests 1 g of chalcopyrite was
initially conditioned for 20 min in a beaker with 100 cm3 of solution
(with and without 1300 ppm of Mg2+ as a chloride salt), and at a given
redox potential adjusted using hydrogen peroxide or sodium sulfite
(Na2SO3). Once redox conditions reached equilibrium, pH is adjusted to
10.5 and PAX and MIBC are added to obtain concentrations of 40 and
25 ppm, respectively. The suspension was then conditioned for addi-
tional 3 min after which micro-flotation tests are performed as de-
scribed in the preceding paragraph.
The batch flotation tests were carried out in a 2.7 L EDEMET
Automated flotation cell. The flotation feed for every test corresponded
to the artificial copper ore containing 1% of Cu that was prepared by
mixing pure chalcopyrite with quartz, and that was wet ground to a
particle size P80 = 150 µm. Kaolinite 1 was added in replacement of
quartz at different percentages of the total mass of artificial ore, i.e., 0,
5, 10 and 15%. 1 kg samples were ground in a laboratory ball mill to a
P80 of 150 µm, and then placed in the flotation cell where the solids
content was adjusted to 32% by weight. The pH was adjusted to 10
using lime and the slurry was conditioned for 2 min at 900 rpm with
30 g/t PAX, 20 ppm MIBC. The flotation tests were conducted at an air
flowrate of 12 L/min with collection of the concentrate every 10 s over
a 10 min period. Concentrates and tailings were analyzed for Cu to
determine the recoveries and grades. All the tests were performed in
duplicates with an average standard deviation of 0.5 percentage points.
3. Results
3.1. Micro-flotation results in a 0.01 M NaCl solution
As Figs. 1–3 indicate, over alkaline pH ranges kaolinite does not
really affect flotation of chalcopyrite. Depressing effect is clearly visible
around pH of 7. Both tested dispersing agents, sodium hexamatapho-
sphate and sodium silicate, restore floatability depressed by kaolinite
around pH 7.
100
90
Chaclopyrite recovery, %
80
70
Pure cpy
60
85 % cpy+ 15 % kaolinite 1
85 % cpy+ 15 % kaolinite 2
50
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
pH
Fig. 1. Effect of kaolinite 1 and kaolinite 2 on flotation of chalcopyrite in a
0.01 M NaCl solution as a function of pH.
A. Ramirez et al. Minerals Engineering 125 (2018) 10–14

100 Table 1
Effect of kaolinite 1 on copper recovery, in the tests in seawater with synthetic
90 ore containing 1% Cu at pH 8 and 10. Conditions: 30 g/t PAX, 20 ppm MIBC.
Chaclopyrite recovery, %

Flotation feed pH 8 pH 10
80
Synthetic ore 90.7% 87.5%
85% Synth. Ore + 15% kaolinite 89.2% 82.8%
70

85 % cpy+ 15 % kaolinite 1 depressing effect of kaolinite 2 could, however, be restored by both

60
85 % cpy+ 15 % kaolinite 1: 10 ppm SHMP tested dispersants (Fig. 6).
85 % cpy+ 15 % kaolinite 1: 10 ppm SS
50
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 3.3. Batch flotation tests in seawater with the synthetic ore (quartz + cpy)
pH of 1% Cu in the presence of kaolinite 1

Fig. 2. Effect of SHMP and SS (10 ppm in both cases) on the flotation of chal- As could be expected, the depressing effect of kaolinite on chalco-
copyrite in the presence of 15% of kaolinite 1, in a 0.01 M NaCl solution, and as
pyrite flotation depends on the amount of kaolinite in the feed. Fig. 7
a function of pH. Conditions: 25 ppm PAX, 20 ppm MIBC, cpy denotes chalco-
clearly reveals that this depressing effect increases with increasing
pyrite.
content of kaolinite in the feed. In accordance with the previously
published results, in the flotation tests in seawater, the most pro-
100
nounced depression by kaolinite was expected around pH 10 (Uribe
et al., 2017). The data in Table 1 confirm such conclusions.
90
Chaclopyrite recovery, %

Figs. 8 and 9 show the effect of the dosage of SHMP and SS on

copper recovery in the batch flotation tests in seawater. These data
80 indicate that both tested dispersants were able to improve copper re-
coveries in the tests depressed by kaolinite in seawater at pH 10.
70
4. Discussion
85 % cpy+ 15 % kaolinite 2
60
85 % cpy+ 15 % kaolinite 2: 10 ppm SHMP The two series of the tests, in a 0.01 M NaCl solution (micro-flota-
85 % cpy+ 15 % kaolinite 2: 10 ppm SS
tion tests) and in seawater (micro-flotation and flotation tests in a 2.7 L
50
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 batch mechanical flotation cell) gave quite different results. These re-
pH
sults are shown in Figs. 1–3, and Figs. 4–9. As seen from Fig. 1, in
0.01 M NaCl solutions pure chalcopyrite floats well over the whole
Fig. 3. Effect of SHMP and SS (10 ppm in both cases) on the flotation of chal- tested pH range (from pH 7 to pH 12), while Fig. 4 shows a pronounced
copyrite in the presence of 15% of kaolinite 2, in a 0.01 M NaCl solution, and as depression of chalcopyrite flotation in seawater around pH 11–12. This
a function of pH. Conditions: 25 ppm PAX, 20 ppm MIBC, cpy denotes chalco- is in agreement with the data obtained from batch flotation tests using a
pyrite.
synthetic ore which are presented in Table 1. It is to be pointed out that
in our previous papers (Castro, 2012; Castro et al., 2012) we showed
3.2. Micro-flotation results in seawater that in the flotation of Cu-Mo sulfide ores in seawater molybdenite
flotation was strongly depressed by hydrolysis products of Mg2+ ions
Micro-flotation tests carried out in a Smith-Partridge flotation cell in over the alkaline pH range, while Cu recovery was not affected. Fig. 4
seawater reveal quite a different picture. In seawater both tested kao- indicates that in a single-mineral flotation tests in seawater chalcopyrite
linites depress chalcopyrite flotation in the alkaline pH range over was depressed over the pH range from 10 to 12. In the previously
which chalcopyrite is depressed also in the tests without kaolinite. published results of the batch flotation tests, the Cu-Mo ore was wet
Depressing effect of kaolinite 2 is much more pronounced (Fig. 4). This ground and floated in a mechanical flotation cell. The artificial Cu ore

100
100 90
90 80
Chaclopyrite recovery, %

80
Chaclopyrite recovery, %

70
70 60
60 50
50 40
40 30
30 85 % cpy+ 15 % kaolinite 1
Pure cpy 20
85 % cpy+ 15 % kaolinite 1: 10 ppm SHMP
20 85 % cpy+ 15 % kaolinite 1
10
85 % cpy+ 15 % kaolinite 1: 10 ppm SS
10 85 % cpy+ 15 % kaolinite 2
0
0 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 pH
pH
Fig. 5. Effect of SHMP and sodium silicate (10 ppm in both cases) on the flo-
Fig. 4. Effect of kaolinite 1 and kaolinite 2 on flotation of chalcopyrite in tation of chalcopyrite in seawater in the presence of 15% of kaolinite 1 as a
seawater as a function of pH. Conditions: 25 ppm PAX, 20 ppm MIBC, cpy de- function of pH. Conditions: 25 ppm PAX, 20 ppm MIBC, cpy denotes chalco-
notes chalcopyrite. pyrite.

12
A. Ramirez et al. Minerals Engineering 125 (2018) 10–14

100 90
90 89
80
Chaclopyrite recovery, %

88
70 87

Cu recovery, %
60 86
50 85
40 84
95% Synthetic ore+ 5% kaolinite 1
30
83
85 % cpy+ 15 % kaolinite 2 90% Synthetic ore+10% kaolinite 1
20
85 % cpy+ 15 % kaolinite 2: 10 ppm SHMP 82 85% Synthetic ore+15% kaolinite 1
10
85 % cpy+ 15 % kaolinite 2: 10 ppm SS 81
0
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 80
,0.0 ,50.0 1,0.0 1,50.0 2,0.0 2,50.0 3,0.0 3,50.0
pH
SS, kg/t
Fig. 6. Effect of SHMP and sodium silicate (10 ppm in both cases) on the flo-
tation of chalcopyrite in seawater in the presence of 15% of kaolinite 2 as a Fig. 9. Effect of the dosage of SS on copper recovery in the tests in seawater,
function of pH. Conditions: 25 ppm PAX, 20 ppm MIBC, cpy denotes chalco- with synthetic ore containing 1% Cu, and varying content of kaolinite 1.
pyrite. Conditions: pH 10, 30 g/t PAX, 20 ppm MIBC.

100

95

90
Cu recovery, %

85

80

75

70
0 5 10 15 20
Percentage of kaolinite 1 in the synthetic ore, %

Fig. 7. Effect of the content of kaolinite 1 in the feed, on copper recovery in the
Fig. 10. Effect of pulp potential on microflotation of chalcopyrite. Conditions:
tests with synthetic ore containing 1% Cu using seawater. Conditions: pH 10,
25 ppm PAX, 20 ppm MIBC.
30 g/t PAX, 20 ppm MIBC.

discrepancies. These are likely to be differences between the redox

90
conditions in the batch flotation of the Cu-Mo sulfide ore and the single-
89 95% Synthetic ore+ 5% kaolinite 1 mineral micro-flotation tests. The results of the additional experiments
88 90% Synthetic ore+10% kaolinite 1 carried out to validate such a possibility are shown in Fig. 10. In these
87 85% Synthetic ore+15% kaolinite 1 micro-flotation tests 1 g of chalcopyrite was used per a test. Natural
Cu recovery, %

pulp potential of this system (1 g of chalcopyrite in the solution of

86
150 cm3) was +151 mV (SHE scale) when the tests were carried out in
85 distilled water, and +145 mV when the tests were carried out in a
84 1300 ppm Mg2+ solution. Na2SO3 was utilized to achieve more redu-
83
cing environment and H2O2 for creating oxidizing conditions. As this
figure reveals, flotation of chalcopyrite in distilled water at pH of 10
82
with PAX is not sensitive to the pulp redox potential, while in the tests
81 in the presence of Mg2+ ions (1300 ppm that is at Mg2+ concentration
80 in seawater) the effect of pulp redox potential is quite strong. At high
,0.0 ,50.0 1,0.0 1,50.0 2,0.0 2,50.0 3,0.0 3,50.0 pulp potentials (over +300 mV) chalcopyrite flotation is depressed and
this agrees reasonable well with what was reported by Trahar (1984).
SHMP, kg/t
Fig. 10 brings up some new information that indicates that chalco-
Fig. 8. Effect of the dosage of SHMP on copper recovery in the tests in seawater, pyrite, depending on pulp potential, can also be depressed by Mg2+
with synthetic ore containing 1% Cu, and varying content of kaolinite 1. hydrolysis products (the tests were carried out at pH of 10). The de-
pressing effect of Mg2+ hydrolysis products is especially pronounced
used in this project was prepared by mixing pure chalcopyrite with over very oxidizing pulp potentials (over +300 mV). This interesting
quartz and in some tests also with addition of a given amount of kao- phenomenon deserves a further study. It is believed that the surface of
linite (content of Cu in this ore was 1%). The artificial ore was wet chalcopyrite after grinding has both hydrophobic patches (sulfur based
ground before batch flotation. The differences between the current entities) and hydrophilic patches (hydroxides) (Senior and Trahar,
single mineral flotation tests and the Cu-Mo sulfide ore batch flotation 1991). The floatability of such a mineral is determined by the degree to
tests described previously indicate possible reasons for these which the patches which are hydrophobic dominate those which are

13
A. Ramirez et al.
hydrophilic. Less hydrophobic chalcopyrite surface at highly oxidizing
pulp potentials can obviously be made even less hydrophobic by pre-
cipitating magnesium hydroxide.
Figs. 1–3 indicate that in a 0.01 M NaCl solution kaolinite depresses
chalcopyrite only at a pH around 7 but not in the alkaline pH range. A
great deal of evidence indicates that kaolinite platelets can bear dif-
ferent surface charge on the basal planes and on the edges (Zhou and
Gunter, 1992; Johnson et al., 2000; Tombacz and Szekeres, 2006). The
basal surface of kaolinite is believed to carry a structural charge which
is attributed to the isomorphous substitution of Si4+ by Al3+. The
charge on the edges is due to the ionization of surface hydroxylic
groups and therefore depends on the solution pH. The evidence points
out that the zero-point of charge of the edges is situated around pH 6–7,
and thus the kaolinite platelets are heterogeneous in acidic solutions.
Our tests indicate that the flotation of chalcopyrite is depressed by
kaolinite at pH of 7 that is at the pH at which the edges are likely to
acquire positive electrical charge which evidences heterocoagulation
between both mineral species. Under such conditions both kaolinites
are depressing chalcopyrite, kaolinite 2 more than kaolinite 1. This
depression at pH 7 can however be restored with the use of both tested
dispersants (SHMP and SS).
Fig. 4 shows that in seawater both tested kaolinites depress chal-
copyrite flotation at the pH values from 7 to 11. At the pH range be-
tween 7 and 9 the depressing effect can be attributed to the strong
compaction of the double layer caused by the high ionic strength of
seawater which leads to heterocoagulation between chalcopyrite and
kaolinite. At pH > 9 kaolinite also depresses chalcopyrite, however as
we previously discussed chalcopyrite is also depressed in the absence of
kaolinite at this highly alkaline pH values. In this situation, it is possible
to assume that there are 2 mechanisms that would explain the de-
pressing effect of kaolinite on chalcopyrite; first a phenomenon of
heterocoagulation between both minerals produced as a result of the
compression of the electric double layer, and secondly an effect related
to the accumulation of magnesium precipitates that would induce
greater heterocoagulation between kaolinite and chalcopyrite.
The data presented in Fig. 4 also show that the depressing effect of
kaolinite 2 is much more pronounced than the effect of kaolinite 1. Du
et al. (2010) studied various kaolinite samples and showed that well-
crystallized and poorly- crystalized kaolinites were characterized by
different behavior. Their KGa-1b sample, referred to as well-crystallized
sample, had BET surface area of 12.4 m2/g, while for KGa-2 poorly-
crystallized sample BET surface area was 21.2 m2/g. The KGa-1b par-
ticles tend to be larger in diameter, and thicker than KGa-2 particles;
the well-crystallized sample had relatively smooth area and thicker
edge dimensions. It is interesting to point out that the BET surface area
for our kaolinite 1 was 10.05 m2/g, while this surface area for kaolinite
2 was 23.5 m2/g, and it is thus tempting to treat kaolinite 1 as well-
crystallized and kaolinite 2 as poorly-crystallized. The flotation tests
revealed that the sample of kaolinite 2, the poorly-crystallized sample,
was depressing chalcopyrite flotation more than kaolinite 1 (Figs. 1 and
4).
Regarding the effects of dispersants presented in Figs. 5 and 6, it is
possible to conclude that both of them are able to restore the flotation
of chalcopyrite, and the effects of SHMP and SS were stronger in the
case of the poorly-crystallized kaolinite. The results obtained using a
synthetic ore in 2.7 L batch flotation cell confirm the positive effect of
dispersants and further work is needed to explain the mechanisms in-
volved in the case the flotation process is carried out using seawater.
Since kaolinite 2 is depressing flotation of chalcopyrite more than
kaolinite 1 the effect of SHMP and SS was more clearly visible in the
tests with kaolinite 2 (Fig. 6).
5. Conclusions
1. Chalcopyrite flotation in 0.01 M NaCl solutions was not depressed
by kaolinite over alkaline pH ranges, but was depressed when
14
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Minerals Engineering 125 (2018) 10–14
flotation was carried out at pH 7. This depressed chalcopyrite flo-
tation at pH 7 could be improved with the use of both tested dis-
persants.
2. In the flotation tests carried out in seawater chalcopyrite was de-
pressed in the alkaline pH range, in the absence and presence of
kaolinite. This depression was however shown to be very much
dependable on pulp redox potential and was especially strong at
very oxidizing pulp potentials. This explains why chalcopyrite is
depressed in seawater at pH > 9.
3. In seawater, a very strong depression at pH > 9 is caused by the
compression of the EDL and by the action of magnesium precipitates
that induce a strong interaction between kaolinite and chalcopyrite.
The flotation of chalcopyrite depressed by kaolinites 1 and 2 over
the pH range 7 to 11 could be improved with the use of SHMP, and
to lesser degree by sodium silicate. The effect of these dispersants is
stronger in the case of the tests that were performed using kaolinite
2 which is a poorly-crystallized type of kaolinite.
4. The use of dispersants to reduce the effect of clay minerals in the
process of flotation using seawater seems to be promising, as in the
case of flotation of molybdenite. However, further work is needed to
evaluate the effect of these reagents downstream in the thickening
stage.
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the financial support of CRHIAM spon-
sored by the CONICYT/FONDAP-15130015 project. Leopoldo Gutierrez
wants to thank the Conicyt/Fondecyt for Initiation Project No.
11140184.
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