Depressant for flotation separation of polymetallic sulphide ores

• US 5,693,692 A
• Filed: 05/09/1994
• Issued: 12/02/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Huntsman Corporation
• Original Assignee: Falconbridge Ltd. (Glencore Plc), Huntsman Petrochemical LLC (Huntsman Corporation)
• Inventors: Jessup, Tim M., Leighton, Gordon, Jackson, James F., Bulatovic, Srdjan
• Primary Examiner(s): Mullis, Jeffrey C.
• Application Number:
  US08/240,599
• Time in Patent Office: 1,303 Days
• Field of Search: 229/166, 229/167, 252/61, 525/54.26, 525/54.42, 527/314, 527/400, 536/4.1, 524/47, 524/50, 524/52
• US Class Current: 524/47
• CPC Class Codes: B03D 1/008 containing oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: B03D 1/01 containing nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: B03D 1/012 containing sulfur
• CPC Class Codes: B03D 1/016 Macromolecular compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B03D 1/06 differential
• CPC Class Codes: B03D 2201/06 Depressants
• CPC Class Codes: B03D 2203/02 Ores
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 220/06 Acrylic acid; Methacrylic acid; Metal salts or ammonium salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 281/00 Macromolecular compounds obtained by polymerising monomers on to polymers of monomers having carbon-to-carbon triple bonds as defined in group C08F38/00

Abstract

A new depressant for use in enhanced separation of polymetallic sulphides is described. The depressant agent is used in conjunction with conventional collector agents and frothing agents in the flotation separation of copper, nickel, lead, zinc sulphides by depressing iron sulphides such as pyrrhotite, pyrite and marcasite in the tailing. The depressant consists of a chemically-modified carbohydrate polymer, a polyacrylate and low foaming lignin sulphonate.

Claims

1. An ore slurry comprising

ground ore;

water;

a collecting agent; and

a depressant composition of matter useful for the depression of iron sulphide minerals in a mineral flotation separation process, which depressant composition comprises a mixture of;

a causticized chemically-modified starch polymer, where said causticized, chemically-modified starch polymer is formed by

adding the starch polymer to an alkaline solution to produce a causticized starch polymer, and

subsequently reacting the causticized starch polymer with a reagent selected from the group consisting of carbon disulphide, aminoacetonitrile bisulphate, an ethylene amine and a nitrile, and

a starch polymer stabilizing agent where the starch polymer stabilizing agent consists of a starch polymer stabilizing agent selected from the group consisting of

(a) a polyacrylic acid or salt thereof having a viscosity average molecular weight of about 1,000 to about 10,000 and

(b) a lignosulfonate containing less than 0.1% sugar and

(c) mixtures thereof.

2. The ore slurry of claim 1 where in the depressant composition both said polyacrylic acid or salt thereof and said low foaming lignin sulfonate are present.

3. The ore slurry of claim 2 where in the depressant composition said polyacrylic acid is present as the sodium salt thereof.

4. The ore slurry of claim 2 where in the depressant composition said polyacrylic acid has a viscosity average molecular weight of about 3,000 to about 4,000.

5. The ore slurry of claim 2 where in the depressant composition said carbohydrate polymer has been causticized by providing the same in aqueous alkaline solution.

7. The ore slurry of claim 2 where in the depressant composition said carbohydrate polymer is a dextrin.

6. An ore slurry comprising

ground ore;

water;

a collecting agent; and

a depressant composition of matter useful for the depression of iron sulphide minerals in a mineral flotation separation process, which depressant composition comprises a mixture of;

a causticized chemically-modified starch polymer, where said causticized, chemically-modified starch polymer is formed by

adding the starch polymer to an alkaline solution to produce a causticized starch polymer, and

subsequently reacting the causticized starch polymer with a reagent selected from the group consisting of carbon disulphide, aminoacetonitrile bisulphate, an ethylene amine and a nitrile, and wherein said starch polymer has been causticized by providing the same in aqueous alkaline solution, and

starch polymer stabilizing agents consisting essentially of both

(a) a polyacrylic acid or salt thereof having a viscosity average molecular weight of about 1,000 to about 10,000 and

(b) a lignosulfonate containing less than 0.1% sugar.

8. An ore slurry comprising

ground ore;

water;

a collecting agent; and

a depressant composition of matter useful for the depression of iron sulphide minerals in a mineral flotation separation process, which depressant composition comprises a mixture of;

a causticized chemically-modified starch polymer, where said causticized, chemically-modified starch polymer is formed by

adding the starch polymer to an alkaline solution to produce a causticized starch polymer, and

subsequently reacting the causticized starch polymer with an ethylene amine containing diethylenetriamine, and

starch polymer stabilizing agents consisting essentially of

(a) a polyacrylic acid or salt thereof having a viscosity average molecular weight of about 1,000 to about 10,000 and

(b) a lignosulfonate containing less than 0.1% sugar.

9. An ore slurry comprising

ground ore;

water;

a collecting agent; and

a depressant composition of matter useful for the depression of iron sulphide minerals in a mineral flotation separation process, which depressant composition comprises a mixture of;

a causticized chemically-modified starch polymer, where said causticized, chemically-modified starch polymer is formed by

adding the starch polymer to an alkaline solution to produce a causticized starch polymer, and

subsequently reacting the causticized starch polymer with a nitrite containing thioureanitrite, and

starch polymer stabilizing agents consisting essentially of both

(a) a polyacrylic acid or salt thereof having a viscosity average molecular weight of about 1,000 to about 10,000 and

(b) a lignosulfonate containing less than 0.1% sugar.