Flotation methods and processes for copper-molybdenum ores

The polymetallic mineral resources of copper-molybdenum ores are characterized by more poor ores, less rich ores, serious co-association, many other useful components, and fine embedded particle size, which brings difficulties to the sorting of copper-molybdenum ores. Therefore, the copper-molybdenum ore separation process is particularly important.

Copper-molybdenum ore is one of the main sources of molybdenum. Chile, the United States, Canada, Peru, Mexico and the Soviet Union are the main countries that recover molybdenum concentrates from copper-molybdenum ores.

Molybdenum ore has good natural floatability, so the molybdenum ore beneficiation process of direct flotation after crushing and grinding is often used. Useful minerals in copper-molybdenum ores include chalcopyrite, chalcocite, molybdenite, etc. In production practice, flotation is often used to separate copper-molybdenum ores.

Copper and molybdenum flotation separation process

In principle, the flotation methods of copper-molybdenum ores include mixed flotation, preferential flotation, and equal flotation. Mixed flotation is mostly used in production, but sometimes preferential flotation or equal flotation is also used.

1. Mixed flotation process

Most copper-molybdenum ores adopt a mixed flotation-copper-molybdenum separation process, because molybdenite and chalcopyrite have similar floatability and serious associated phenomena. This process is low-cost and simple.

Generally speaking, the mixed collector of the flotation machine uses xanthate (butyl xanthate), auxiliary collector hydrocarbon oil (kerosene), terpineol oil as the foaming agent, and lime and water glass as the foaming agent. Conditioner. Tests on a low-grade copper-molybdenum ore found that when kerosene was used as a collector and BK301C was used as an auxiliary collector for copper-molybdenum mixing, the recovery rates of copper and molybdenum could reach 93.3 grams respectively when the dosage was 59 g/ton. /Ton.

2. Priority flotation process

For low-grade molybdenum-copper ores, preferential flotation is sometimes more appropriate. Molybdenite is embedded in gangue cracks and between particles. The process flow is to first flotate molybdenum, then grind ore to separate copper and molybdenum, and flotate molybdenum tailings to recover copper.

3. Waiting for flotation process

Generally speaking, both preferential flotation and mixed flotation require higher alkalinity (lime) to achieve the separation of copper, molybdenum and sulfur. Lime has an inhibitory effect on molybdenum and is not conducive to the recovery of molybdenum.

It will have little interference on the next step of copper-molybdenum separation and molybdenum separation, which is conducive to obtaining better indicators.