A New Innovative Method of Flotation Separation for High Sulfur Lead–Zinc Sulfide Ore

Abstract

In response to the environment and economic problems attributed to the usage of large amount of lime and sulfuric acid in high alkaline preferential process (HAPP) , this research systematically investigated a new, environment friendly and cost-effective flotation approach for the selective separation of galena , sphalerite , and pyrite from a high sulfur lead –zinc sulfide ore. In this study, the sample was obtained from Fankou Mine in Guangdong Province. With the new scheme, it was found that most of galena (Pb_Recovery: 93.5%) and pyrite (S_Recovery: 87.5%) were gathered through galena –pyrite mixed flotation without the usage of lime , and then galena and pyrite were effectively separated using a little amount of lime (2000 g/t). More important, the product of high-grade pyrite (S_Grade: 46.8%) was recovered without sulfuric acid . Totally, the new innovative method can reduce the amount of lime and eliminate sulfuric acid requirement. At the same time, the closed circuit flotation results can be obtained with Pb_Recovery: 82.60%, Zn_Recovery: 95.26%, and S_Recovery: 64.47%. Besides, both the reagents’ costs and power requirements were minimized, and 4.5 million RMB could be saved annually in Fankou plant of China. Therefore, the developed approach has significant environmental and economic benefits possessing a broad prospect in the mineral industry.