Speaker
Description
Flotation remains the primary technique for extracting valuable sulphide minerals, but its reliance on water presents a massive challenge amid rising global water scarcity and environmental restrictions. While recycling process water offers a sustainable path forward, accumulated species like metal ions, sulphates1, and natural organic materials2 fundamentally alter water properties and threaten flotation performance3–5.
This presentation delivers a comprehensive evaluation of how recycled and low-quality water influences the floatability of sulphide minerals (copper and molybdenum). From the lab-scale to full-scale operation, the underlying mechanisms using a dual approach were investigated: laboratory single-mineral flotation of chalcopyrite and molybdenite, and complex ore testing using process water sourced from real beneficiation plant in Peru. Utilizing surface-sensitive analytical techniques such as zeta potential and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the physicochemical characterization was mapped driving the mineral-water-bubble interactions. The findings establish a predictive workflow for identifying how specific water-borne species impact positively or negatively metallurgical performance.
Keywords: process water, mineral flotation, recycled water, sulphides
References:
(1) Sinche-Gonzalez, M.; Fornasiero, D. Understanding the Effect of Sulphate in Mining-Process Water on Sulphide Flotation. Miner. Eng. 2021, 165, 106865. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mineng.2021.106865.
(2) Sinche-Gonzalez, M.; Fornasiero, D.; Zanin, M. Flotation of Chalcopyrite and Molybdenite in the Presence of Organics in Water. Minerals 2016, 6 (4). https://doi.org/10.3390/min6040105.
(3) Schumann, R. , L. G. and D. R. Process Water Chemistry Influences in Base Metal Sulphides Flotation, Report to Newcrest Mining Ltd. ; Adelaide, 2002.
(4) Espinosa-Gomez, R.; Finch, J. A.; Laplante, A. R. Effects of the Type of Water on the Selective Flotation of Pyrochlore from Niobec. Colloids and Surfaces 1987, 26, 333–350. https://doi.org/10.1016/0166-6622(87)80125-7.
(5) Rao, S. R.; Espinosa-Gomez, R.; Finch, J. A.; Biss, R. Effects of Water Chemistry on the Flotation of Pyrochlore and Silicate Minerals. Miner. Eng. 1988, 1 (3), 189–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/0892-6875(88)90041-6.