Froth flotation is a method used to separate the desired mineral particles from the associated gangue mineral based on the differences in their hydrophobicity. It is used to treat nickel sulphide ores containing pyrrhotite, pentlandite and magnesium oxide. The Collectors are the reagents used in the froth flotation to impart the hydrophobicity to the desired mineral.Potassium amyl xanthate (PAX) is one of the preferred collectors used in froth flotation of nickel sulphide ores. The xanthate collectors are sensitive to pH and their selectivity in treating complex ores is questionable. With deteriorating nickel sulphide ore reserves more selective collectors have to be used in the extraction of nickel. The dithiophosphates are believed to be more selective than xanthates but cost more.The addition of a second collector in the froth flotation system improves surface coverage which is promoted by the collector co-adsorption. The synergistic effects or linear summation of constituents' adsorption characteristics may improve the overall flotation performance with regard to recovery and grade.PAX was mixed with either sodium di-methyl dithiocarbamate (di-C_1-DTC) or sodium di-ethyl dithiophosphate (di-C_2-DTP) to investigate whether there were any improvements in recoveries and grades compared to pure xanthate collectors. The following mixtures were tested in this work90% PAX and 10% di-C_1-DTC; 90% PAX and 10% di-C_2-DTP; 70% PAX and 30% di-d-DTC; and 70% PAX and 30% di-C_2-DTPThis study showed that the mixture 90% PAX and 10% di-CrDTC yielded higher nickel recovery and nickel grade than the pure PAX. It was not beneficial to use both mixtures of PAX with di-C_2-DTP. The nickel recoveries and nickel grades obtained with the use of these mixtures were lower than those obtained with pure PAX.
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