Effect of desliming on the flotation of a complax copper ore from China

The complex copper oxide ore sample was taken from Deerni copper deposit, Qinghai Province of China. Batch flotation tests had been conducted to upgrade the copper concentrate by conventional amyl xanthate reagents under 73% -74 μm of the particle size; however, the unsatisfied results (Cu grade of 18.21% and recovery of 59.25%) were obtained. Also there are a large amount of slimes trapped in the concentrate and high-dosages consumption of reagents, for example, more than 2.5 kg/t sodium sulfide and 1.5 kg/t sodium silicate at only one-staged roughing. Based on the analysis of the sample, most of gangues are clay, feldspar and mica, which may easy to over-grind and deteriorate the flotation process either on reagents consumption or slurry fluidity or viscosity. A hydro-cyclone had been introduced to pre-concentrate the oxide ore by scrubbing the slime before flotation, which can result obviously in reducing the dosages of sodium sulfide from 2.5 Kg/t to 1 Kg/t, and raising the grade of Cu in the concentrate from 18.21% to 26.65% at the expense of about 1% recovery of Cu. In this paper, the effects on the recovery of Cu by the different dosages of flotation reagents with or without de-sliming were studied, with the objective of determining the different effects on the functions of flotation reagents by slime during flotation.