The Application of Controlled Potential Sulfidization to Oxidized Copper Sulfide Ores

摘要

Controlled potential sulfidization (CPS) has long been in use as a method to mitigate the negative flotation response resulting from surface oxidation of copper sulfide ores, which is often a consequence of stockpiling. The implementation of CPS can be quite difficult, as the potential used to control sulfide addition can be hard to measure and maintain in an operating plant environment, whether using a platinum electrode to measure E_H or utilizing an ISE (ion-specific electrode). This paper shows how the sulfide consumption, of bench-scale laboratory flotation tests, was found to correlate very well with the acid-soluble copper ratios of the ore feeds. As these acid-soluble copper ratios (feed) are already in routine use at the copper porphyry operation, it may allow for more practical plant control of sulfide addition during the processing of the stockpiled copper sulfide ores. Additionally, a reduction in sulfide consumption was demonstrated when switching the sulfide addition point from the rougher feed to the scavenger feed.