3.2. Ore flotation tests
Ores obtained from the Dexing Copper Mine were tested to determine the optimal conditions for Cu–S separation in the presence of sodium humate.
In the experiments, CaO was used to adjust the pH of the pulp.
The flotation flowsheet and reagent system are shown in Fig. 2, and the effect of the sodium humate concentration on Cu–S flotation separation is shown in Fig. 5. The results indicated that the Cu content of the concentrate increased from 15.6% in the absence of sodium humate to 24.5% in the presence of 80 g/t of sodium humate. However, a decrease in the Cu
recovery was not observed; thus, pyrite was selectively depressed in the presence of sodium humate, and the floatability of chalcopyrite was not affected