PROMISING REAGENTS FOR EXTRACTING STRATEGIC METALS FROM CHALLENGING MINERAL RAW MATERIALS
Keywords:
Gold-bearing minerals; challenging ores; flotation reagents; morpholindithiocarbamate; cyanethyl-diethyldithiocarbamate; plant modifier; extraction.Abstract
The mining and processing industry is increasingly in need of new specialized reagents due to the declining quality of the ores being processed. The low gold content (below 0.5-1.0 g/t) and finely dispersed gold inclusions (0.1-10.0 microns) in ores, combined with the similar characteristics of separated minerals, significantly hinder flotation performance when traditional reagents are used. This often results in considerable losses of valuable metals in the enrichment tailings. Expanding the selection of domestic flotation reagents, informed by the latest advancements in fundamental research, is essential for mitigating the negative effects of the raw material's mineral composition and maximizing the recovery of strategic metals from challenging ores. Utilizing modern research techniques—such as scanning electron and laser microscopy, UV spectrophotometry, XRF, and chemical analysis—has allowed for the visualization of the adsorption layer of new collector reagents, specifically various dithiocarbamates, on gold-containing sulfides. The experimental determination of the quantity of adsorbed reagents on mineral surfaces revealed unique fixation characteristics that led to optimized consumption ratios in the flotation process. These scientifically tailored reagent protocols resulted in a 5-6% increase in gold concentration in the concentrate and a reduction in gold losses in the tailings during the flotation enrichment of refractory ore from the Malinovskoe deposit.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation .
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
