Flotation recovery of lead, silver and gold as sulfides from electrolytic zinc process residues

摘要

A process is disclosed for the recovery of lead, silver and gold from the iron-bearing residue of an electrolytic zinc process by froth-flotating a slurry of the iron-bearing residue in the presence of a sulfidic collector agent in order to froth-flotate the sulfides and to separate them from the iron-bearing residue. The iron-bearing residue is sulfidized selectively in order to convert the lead, silver and possibly gold substantially quantitatively to sulfides before the iron-bearing residue is froth-flotated.