IP Library Granted Patent US 8,685,350
Granted Patent B2
US 8,685,350 · App. 13/577,353 · Granted Apr 1, 2014

Method for separating arsenic mineral from copper-bearing material with high arsenic grade

Inventors: Hideyuki Okamoto (Niihama, JP); Yoshiyuki Tanaka (Niihama, JP); Tsuyoshi Hirajima (Fukuoka, JP); Keiko Sasaki (Fukuoka, JP)
Assignees: Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd.; Kyushu University, National University Corporation
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,685,350
App. No.
13/577,353
Granted
Apr 1, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed herein is a method for separating an arsenic mineral from a copper-bearing material, including the steps of grinding a copper-bearing material containing arsenic, adding water to the copper-bearing material to prepare a slurry, and adding a flotation agent including a depressant, a frother, and a collector to the slurry and blowing air into the slurry for performing flotation to obtain a copper concentrate, wherein the depressant is a chelator. As the chelator, a polyethyleneamine or the like is used. Particularly, when triethylenetetramine is used as the chelator, the amount of triethylenetetramine to be added is preferably 1 to 10 equivalents relative to the amount of soluble copper generated by oxidation of the copper-bearing material, and the pH of the slurry is more preferably adjusted to 7 or more but 8 or less before the slurry is subjected to the flotation.

Claims (18)

1. A method for separating an arsenic mineral from a copper-bearing material, comprising the steps of grinding a copper-bearing material containing arsenic, adding water to the copper-bearing material to prepare a slurry, and adding a flotation agent including a depressant, a frother, and a collector to the slurry and blowing air into the slurry for performing flotation to obtain a copper concentrate, wherein the depressant is a chelator, wherein a pH of the slurry is adjusted to 5.5 or more but 8 or less before the slurry is subjected to the flotation.

2. The method for separating an arsenic mineral from a copper-bearing material according to claim 1 , wherein the chelator is at least one of polyethyleneamines, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and cyclohexanediaminetetraacetic acid.

3. The method for separating an arsenic mineral from a copper-bearing material according to claim 1 , wherein the chelator is triethylenetetramine and is added in an amount of 1 to 10 equivalents relative to an amount of soluble copper generated by oxidation of the copper-bearing material.

4. The method for separating an arsenic mineral from a copper-bearing material according to claim 3 , wherein a pH of the slurry is adjusted to 7 or more but 8 or less before the slurry is subjected to the flotation.

5. The method for separating an arsenic mineral from a copper-bearing material according to claim 1 , wherein flotation is performed to obtain a float fraction by adding one-half or more of an amount of the chelator that needs to be added to stabilize copper ions in the liquid, which is 1 equivalent or more relative to the amount of soluble copper present in the slurry, the obtained float fraction is subjected to solid-liquid separation to recover solid matter, the solid matter is repulped with water containing no chelator to obtain a slurry having a predetermined concentration, and flotation is again performed by adding the remaining chelator to the slurry.

6. The method for separating an arsenic mineral from a copper-bearing material according to claim 1 , wherein the copper-bearing material is a copper ore.

7. The method for separating an arsenic mineral from a copper-bearing material according to claim 1 , wherein the copper-bearing material is a copper concentrate.

8. The method for separating an arsenic mineral from a copper-bearing material according to claim 2 , wherein the copper-bearing material is a copper ore.

9. The method for separating an arsenic mineral from a copper-bearing material according to claim 3 , wherein the copper-bearing material is a copper ore.

10. The method for separating an arsenic mineral from a copper-bearing material according to claim 4 , wherein the copper-bearing material is a copper ore.

11. The method for separating an arsenic mineral from a copper-bearing material according to claim 5 , wherein the copper-bearing material is a copper ore.

12. The method for separating an arsenic mineral from a copper-bearing material according to claim 2 , wherein the copper-bearing material is a copper concentrate.

13. The method for separating an arsenic mineral from a copper-bearing material according to claim 3 , wherein the copper-bearing material is a copper concentrate.

14. The method for separating an arsenic mineral from a copper-bearing material according to claim 4 , wherein the copper-bearing material is a copper concentrate.

15. The method for separating an arsenic mineral from a copper-bearing material according to claim 5 , wherein the copper-bearing material is a copper concentrate.

16. The method for separating an arsenic mineral from a copper-bearing material according to claim 1 , wherein the chelator is at least one of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, pentaethylenehexamine, and cyclohexanediaminetetraacetic acid and a pH of the slurry is adjusted to 5.5 or more but 6.6 or less before the slurry is subjected to the flotation.

17. The method for separating an arsenic mineral from a copper-bearing material according to claim 16 , wherein the copper-bearing material is a copper ore.

18. The method for separating an arsenic mineral from a copper-bearing material according to claim 16 , wherein the copper-bearing material is a copper concentrate.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 17, 2012
From: OKAMOTO, HIDEYUKI; TANAKA, YOSHIYUKI; HIRAJIMA, TSUYOSHI; SASAKI, KEIKO
To: SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTD.; KYUSHU UNIVERSITY, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 028967/0007 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2010-022906 · Feb 4, 2010 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20130004389A1 · Jan 3, 2013