PROCESS FOR PRODUCING ENRICHED MINERAL ORE CONCENTRATES

摘要

A process for selectively enriching a sulfide mineral ore concentrate containing desired metal sulfides and mixed metal sulfides containing the desired metal and other metal or other metal sulfides, the other metal having a lower affinity for sulfur than the desired metal to produce an enriched concentrate having an increased desired metal content; the process comprising: (a) reacting a desired metal ion rich aqueous stream with the sulfide mineral ore concentrate in a reaction zone to produce a product aqueous slurry containing increased quantities of desired metal sulfides; (b) separating the product aqueous slurry into a desired metal ion depleted aqueous stream and a finely divided particulate solids stream containing the desired metal sulfides; and, (c) separating at least a portion of the desired metal sulfides from the finely divided particulate solids stream by a froth flotation process to produce the enriched concentrate.