A method is provided for flotation of refractory auriferous sulfide using an oxygen-deficient flotation gas. The method is particularly suited for non-selective flotation of different iron-containing sulfide mineral species. Comminution prior to flotation may be performed in an oxygen-deficient environment.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application No. 08/735,783, filed Oct. 23, 1996 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,837,210, issued Nov. 17, 1998), which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application No. 08/423,839, filed Apr. 18, 1995 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,945, issued Aug. 5, 1997.
Provided is a method involving flotation of a feed of platinum group metal ore material to prepare a platinum group metal concentrate during mineral processing operations. Prior to and/or during the flotation, a lead-containing activator reagent and a xanthate collector reagent are added to the slurry and during the flotation, an oxygen-deficient flotation gas, such as nitrogen gas, is used.
A method of flotation processing ores and other mineral materials containing soluble nonferrous base metal and sulfide minerals involves dissolving the soluble nonferrous base metal and precipitating the soluble nonferrous base metal in the form of a floatable precipitate that is collected as part of a sulfide concentrate. The use of an oxygen-deficient flotation gas, such as nitrogen gas, promotes the precipitation of the floatable precipitate. A method for removing dissolved nonferrous base metal from solution involves contacting the solution with a particulate containing sulfide minerals under conditions promoting precipitation of the nonferrous base metal onto the sulfide mineral.
