Ph.D. (Chemistry) / The effect of crystal defects on the adsorption and flotation properties of zinc sulphides was examined. Flotation experiments were restricted to collectorless flotation, that is to the flotation of untreated and copper-activated samples. The effect of cyanide treatment was examined only so that an explanation could be found for the bonding characteristics of the adsorbed copper on regions where the crystallography was undisturbed and on those where it was distorted. The electrochemical method for the determination of copper permitted continuous and highly sensitive monitoring of the copper adsorption on the sphalerites. The first part of the thesis concerns the adsorption of copper on synthetic zinc sulphide crystals and natural sphalerites. It is stated that the degree of adsorption depends on the defect structure. Structure etching, gamma-ray irradiation, and selective grinding experiments are shown to justify the conclusions reached. The second part of the thesis describes the flotation of the samples. The adsorption characteristics of the samples are defined in the first part and the adsorption and flotation properties are correlated.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:12243 |
| Date | 10 September 2014 |
| Creators | Richter, Kalman |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | University of Johannesburg |
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