Selective Flotation of Copper Concentrates Containing Arsenic Minerals Using Potassium Amyl Xanthate and Oxidation Treatment

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of potassium amyl xanthate (KAX) and oxidation treatment using hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) on the selective flotation of copper concentrates containing arsenic-bearing copper minerals. The mineralogical analysis revealed that enargite and chalcopyrite were the main arsenic-bearing copper and copper sulfide minerals, respectively, in the copper concentrate. KAX treatment at pH 9 improved the recoveries of copper sulfide and arsenic-bearing copper minerals. However, arsenic-bearing copper minerals floated more rapidly than copper sulfide minerals, indicating better separation selectivity. The separation selectivity of the KAX treatment was significantly improved at pH 10. H₂O₂ treatment was found to selectively improve the recovery of arsenic-bearing copper minerals. A combination treatment using 0.1 M H₂O₂ and 60 g/t of KAX at pH 9 enhanced the separation selectivity in the selective flotation of copper sulfide and arsenic-bearing copper minerals by producing a copper concentrate with the lowest arsenic grade and highest copper grade in tailings compared to those obtained from separated KAX and H₂O₂ treatments.