Claims
- 1. A method for concentrating enargite from a slurry containing enargite and chalcocite, said method comprising:
- (a) conditioning the slurry with an effective amount of an oxidizing agent to depress said chalcocite; and
- (b) subjecting the slurry to a froth flotation process to float an enargite concentrate from said slurry, resulting in an enargite concentrate as a flotation product separate from a chalcocite concentrate as an underflow product.
- 2. A method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said oxidizing agent is a peroxide.
- 3. A method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said oxidizing agent is hydrogen peroxide.
- 4. A method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said oxidizing agent is ozone.
- 5. A method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said oxidizing agent is a persulfate.
- 6. A method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said slurry is conditioned with an oxidizing agent for a time greater than 1 minute.
- 7. A method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said slurry is conditioned with an oxidizing agent for a time from about 5 minutes to about 120 minutes.
- 8. A method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said slurry is conditioned with an oxidizing agent sufficient to achieve an oxidation reduction potential greater than 0 millivolts.
- 9. A method, as claimed in claim 8, wherein said oxidation reduction potential is from about +20 millivolts to about +700 millivolts.
- 10. A method, as claimed in claim 8, wherein said oxidation reduction potential is from about +50 millivolts to about +200 millivolts.
- 11. A method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said flotation process includes the step of adding a copper collector in an amount based on measuring at least one of: (1) the concentration of enargite in the chalcocite concentrate; or (2) the concentration of chalcocite in the enargite concentrate.
- 12. A method for recovering chalcocite from a slurry containing chalcocite and enargite, said method comprising:
- (a) conditioning the slurry with an effective amount of an oxidizing agent to depress the enargite, said oxidizing agent is selected from the group consisting of peroxide, persulfate and ozone; and
- (b) subjecting the oxidized slurry to a froth flotation process to float enargite from said slurry to create a floated enargite concentrate and an underflow chalcocite concentrate.
- 13. A method, as claimed in claim 12, wherein said flotation process includes the step of adding the copper collector in an amount based on measuring at least one of: (1) the enargite concentration in the chalcocite concentrate; or (2) the concentration of chalcocite in the enargite concentrate.
- 14. A method, as claimed in claim 12, wherein said oxidizing agent is hydrogen peroxide.
- 15. A method, as claimed in claim 12, wherein said slurry is conditioned with an oxidizing agent for a time greater than 1 minute.
- 16. A method, as claimed in claim 12, wherein said slurry is conditioned with an oxidizing agent for a time from about 5 minutes to about 120 minutes.
- 17. A method, as claimed in claim 12, wherein said slurry is conditioned with an oxidizing agent sufficient to achieve an oxidation reduction potential greater than 0 millivolts.
- 18. A method, as claimed in claim 17, wherein said oxidation reduction potential is from about +20 millivolts to about +700 millivolts.
- 19. A method, as claimed in claim 17, wherein said oxidation reduction potential is from about +50 millivolts to about +200 millivolts.
- 20. A method for concentration enargite and chalcocite from a slurry which contains both, said method comprising:
- (a) conditioning the slurry with a sufficient amount of peroxide to achieve an oxidation reduction potential greater than 0 millivolts and to depress said chalcocite, said conditioning of said slurry to last for a time greater than about 1 minute; and
- (b) subjecting said slurry to a froth flotation process wherein a copper collector is added to said slurry to float an enargite concentrate from an underflow chalcocite concentrate.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/626,825, filed Dec. 13, 1990 now, U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,455 issued May 5, 1992.
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
626825 |
Dec 1990 |
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