Attractive particle interactions which lead to the hetero-aggregation or 'sliming' of silicate clay gangue and valuable sulphide mineral particles are encountered in a number of hydrometallurgical and flotation processes. Sliming leads to poor recovery of the valuable minerals and high recovery of the clay gangue minerals in flotation concentrates. In the present work, the hetero-aggregation mechanism of hydrophilic mica clay mineral sericite (or muscovite) and hydrophobic chalcocite was investigated by probing the particle interactions and the prevailing interfacial chemistry under dispersion conditions where the individual chalcocite and sericite particles displayed negative zeta potentials. The mitigation/suppression of the hetero-aggregation was examined via the prudent control of dispersion conditions and pulp chemistry (i.e., pH modification and solution speciation control) and the use of two, anionic, polymeric dispersants with different molecular weight and functionality (carboxylate-substituted polyacrylamide, Cyquest 3223 and sulphonate-substituted polymaleic acid, P80 co-polymers) as dispersants. The adsorption behaviour of both polymers onto both minerals under industrially relevant suspension conditions have been quantified in terms of the polymer adsorption density and the adsorbed layer characteristics. These interfacial layer properties which impact on the mineral particles' zeta potentials and interactions, and also underpin the dispersion efficacy of polymers were characterized, using interfacial and solution analytical methods and TM-AFM imaging analysis.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/269027 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | He, Mingzhao |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | EN-AUS |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Copyright Mingzhao He 2009 |
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