Flotation and surface modification characteristics of galena, sphalerite and pyrite in collecting-depressing-reactivating system

The flotation tests and XPS analyses on galena, sphalerite and pyrite have been carried out in a collecting-depressing-reactivating system (hereafter referred as the CDR system). In this system, sulfide minerals were first collected and activated by the collector, and then depressed strongly by Ca(OH)(2) in the strong alkaline solution, and finally reactivated by H2SO4. The flotation tests of pure minerals show that in this system the flotation behaviors of sphalerite and pyrite present irreversible characteristics along with the change of pulp potential. Furthermore, through the CDR system, considerable differences in the flotabilities between galena and sphalerite/ pyrite are also observed. The XPS analysis results for galena, sphalerite and pyrite in a CDR system show that in the strong alkaline solution, some of the collectors, that have been already adsorbed on the mineral surface in the collecting process, are desorbed by Ca(OH)(2). The XPS analysis results also show that in H2SO4 reactivating process, the surface hydroxides of galena are desorbed again by H2SO4 and replaced by diethyl dithiocarbamate, but those of sphalerite and pyrite are not desorbed. This flotation system may be applied to the bulk-differential flotation process of sulfur-bearing low-grade lead-zinc ores.