A PROCESS TO IMPROVE MINERAL FLOTATION SEPARATION BY DEOXYGENATING SLURRIES AND MINERAL SURFACES

摘要

A process for the separation of minerals of different mineralogical character. T he process involves conditioning a milled slurry or flotation concentrate of a mixt ure of valuable sulphidic minerals and non-sulphidic gangue material with an inert/nonoxidising gas and/or a reducing/deoxifying agent. The conditioning is conducted to achieve a controlled dissolved oxygen content or electrochemical reduction potential condu cive to the separation of the valuable sulphidic mineral, non-sulphidic gangue material. The inert/non-oxidising gas and/or reducing/deoxifying agent may be added to the mil led slurry or flotation concentrate in a quantity sufficient to increase rejection of the n on-sulphidic gangue minerals or to improve the selectivity between the valuable sulphidic min erals and non-sulphidic gangue minerals.