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New Insights into Improving the Physicochemical Properties and Flotation Behavior of Pyrite Interfaces from Cyanide Tailings

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Abstract

As the main sulfide mineral in cyanide tailings, how to reduce cyanide inhibition and thus improve the flotation recovery of pyrite is of great significance to the comprehensive management of hazardous solid waste. This research study delved into the potential of ceramic ball media to counteract the negative effects of cyanide on pyrite flotation. Intriguingly, it was observed that the utilization of ceramic ball media resulted in a decrease in the consumption of NaCN and dissolved oxygen within the cyanidation system, along with a reduction in the concentration of SCN−. Employing scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive spectrometry alongside contact angle analysis, it was demonstrated that the use of ceramic ball media mitigated the surface overoxidation caused by galvanic coupling between the iron media and pyrite. Surface chemical analysis using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF–SIMS) confirmed that the ceramic ball media optimized the chemical environment on the surface of pyrite, consequently retarding the formation of FeOOH and diminishing the adsorption of CN−, CNO−, and SCN− on the pyrite surface. Additionally, ToF–SIMS analysis further demonstrated that the ceramic ball media exhibited excellent grinding performance, excluding the non-significant contribution of impurity elements (mainly Fe). Thus, the ceramic ball media grinding showed excellent performance in the cyanidation process, improving the performance by about 10% over that of the iron ball media grinding in the flotation test.

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Acknowledgements

This study was financially supported by National Key R&D Program of China (2018YFC1902001), (2018YFC1902002). We are very grateful to the Shandong Zhaojin Group co., Ltd.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory for Ecological Metallurgy of Multimetallic Mineral (Ministry of Education), Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China

    Qianfei Zhao, Hongying Yang, Linlin Tong, Zhenan Jin & Ruipeng Jin

  2. School of Metallurgy, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, People’s Republic of China

    Qianfei Zhao, Hongying Yang, Linlin Tong, Zhenan Jin & Ruipeng Jin

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  1. Qianfei Zhao
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Correspondence to Linlin Tong.

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Zhao, Q., Yang, H., Tong, L. et al. New Insights into Improving the Physicochemical Properties and Flotation Behavior of Pyrite Interfaces from Cyanide Tailings. J. Sustain. Metall. 9, 1155–1167 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40831-023-00713-1

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