Collecting reagents and process for selective flotation of copper minerals or metallic copper from cobalt, lead, zinc or iron minerals.

摘要

A copper mineral or metallic copper is separated from a Co, Pb, Zn or Fe mineral or mixt. by selective froth flotation using as collector a dithiocarbamate of formula NHR-CS-SM (where R is 2-16C alkyl; M is an alkali metal.) Low concentrations of Cu ores can be beneficiated by froth flotation. Mo, Au and Ag are collected with the Cu but negligible amounts of Zn and Fe. Sulphide ores of Cu such as bornite, chalcopyrite, chalcocite or cubanite are pref. separated from non-copper oxides or sulphides. R may be straight, branched or cyclic but is pref. 5-7C. M is pref. Na. The medium is pref. alkaline with pH 7-12 (9-11).