The behaviours of complexation and dissolution of PbCl2 on the surface of galena were investigated to explore the process of hydro-chemical conversion of galena(PbS)in chloride media.By means of solution chemistry calculation,the production and dissolution of the products PbCl2 were studied.And the passivation of the galena was studied by Tafel curve.The results show that PbCl4 2-is the main form of PbCl2 presented in the saturated potassium chloride(KCl)solution.The PbCl2 crystal is easy to precipitate when the total concentration of chloride ion([Cl -]T)is equal to 0.92 mol/L,and it is inclined to dissolve when[Cl -]T is more than 0.92 mol/L.The chloride complexing reaction rate strongly depends on the Fe3 +ion concentration when it is less than 6× 10-4mol/L,while passivation occurs on the surface of the electrode when Fe 3+concentration is larger than 6×10 -4mol/L.The reaction rate increases obviously when KCl is added,since the activity of Cl-increases;thus accelerates the dissolution of PbCl2.
The co-extraction behavior of galena-pyrolusite in a sodium chloride solution and the electrochemical mechanism of this process were investigated,and some factors affecting the leaching rate of Pb and Mn were optimized.The results show that all the factors such as the concentration of NaCl,HCl and pyrolusite ore,reaction time,temperature,adding times of HCl,affect the leaching rate of Pb.The main affecting factors are the concentration of NaCl,reaction time and temperature.The Tafel polarization curves and EIS plots of the galena and pyrolusite in the NaCl solution demonstrate that during the oxidation process of galena mineral electrode,film forms on the galena surface,which prevents galena from deeper oxidation.However,the film resistance can be greatly reduced in the presence of sodium chloride,thus promoting the reaction rate of galena.
A detailed mineralogical characterization of a tin-polymetallic ore from Mengzi,Yunnan Province,China,was undertaken by automated electron microprobe-based mineral mapping and quantitative analysis methods.The results show that the most valuable metal is Sn（0.98%,mass fraction）.The main tin minerals are cassiterite and stannite,which account for 94.90% of total tin.Other metals,such as Cu（0.261%）,Zn（0.612%） and Pb（0.296%） can also be seen as valuable metal to be recovered.Minerals such as pyrrhotite,pyrite,arsenopyrite,sphalerite,galena and chalcopyrite are disseminated in the ore.Quartz,sericite and dolomite are the main gangue.The optimal grinding fineness should be chosen as 0.037 mm to make sure that most of the tin minerals can be liberated from other minerals.
Solvent extraction experiments were conducted from acidic solutions containing germanium（IV） and other metal ions, such as Ga3＋, Fe3＋, Zn2＋ and Fe2＋ in hydrometallurgical process of zinc. The purpose of this work was to enhance the efficiency of the extraction and stripping processes and the selectivity of germanium and other metals, while making the method as simple as possible. Germanium was recovered from sulfuric acid, using di-（2-ethylhexyl） phosphoric acid （P2O4） as an extractant, tributyl phosphate （TBP） as modifier diluted in sulfonate kerosene and stripped by NaOH aqueous solution. Extraction studies were carried out under different acid concentrations and solvent concentrations, and optimized conditions were determined. The numbers of stages required for extraction and stripping of metal ions were determined from the McCabe-Thiele plot. The results show that the extracting and stripping efficiencies are 94.3% and 100%, respectively, through two-stage extraction and two-stage strip. Moreover, the synergistic effect of TBP on the system P2O4/kerosense/Ge4＋ is revealed with respect to the extraction of germanium.
Two reagents including salicylhydroxamic acid(SHA) and tributyl phosphate(TBP) were tested as collectors either separately or together for electro-flotation of fine cassiterite(<10 μm).Subsequently,the flotation mechanism of the fine cassiterite was investigated by adsorbance determination,electrophoretic mobility measurements and Fourier transform infra-red(FT-IR) spectrum checking.Results of the flotation experiments show that with SHA as a collector,the collecting performance is remarkably impacted by the pulp pH value as the floatability of cassiterite varies sharply when the pH changes,and flotation with SHA gives distinct maximum at about pH 6.5.Additionally,the floatability of cassiterite is determined by using SHA and TBP as collectors.The range of pulp pH for good floatability is broadened in the presence of TBP as auxiliary collector,and the utilization of TBP improves the recovery of cassiterite modestly.Moreover,the optimum pH value for cassiterite flotation is associated with adsorbance.The results of FT-IR spectrum and the electrophoretic mobility measurements indicate that the adsorption interaction between the collectors and the cassiterite is dominantly a kind of chemical bonding in the form of one or two cycle chelate rings due to the coordination of carbonyl group,hydroxamate and P=O group to the metal tin atoms,where the oxygen atoms contained in carbonyl group,hydroxamate and P=O group of the polar groups have the stereo conditions to form five-membered rings.In addition,the adsorption interactions of SHA and TBP on the surfaces of cassiterite are also dominated by means of hydrogen bonds.
In the flotation process, bubble is a key factor in studying bubble-particle interaction and fine particle flo- tation. Knowledge on size distribution of bubbles in a flotation system is highly important. In this study, bubble distributions in different reagent concentrations, electrolyte concentrations, cathode apertures, and current densities in electroflotation are determined using a high-speed camera. Average bubble sizes under different conditions are calculated using Image-Pro@ Plus （Media Cybernetics@, MD, USA） and SigmaScan@ Pro （Systat Software, CA, USA） software. Results indicate that the average sizes of bubbles, which were generated through 38, 50, 74, 150, 250, 420, and 1000 μm cathode apertures, are 20.2, 29.5, 44.6, 59.2, 68.7, 78.5, and 88.8 μm, respectively. The optimal current density in electroflotation is 20 A/m2. Reagent and electrolyte concentrations, current density, and cathode aperture are important factors in controlling bubble size and nucleation. These factors also contribute to the control of fine- Particle flotation.
The depression of pyrite in marmatite flotation by sodium glycerine-xanthate （SGX） was investigated through microflotation, zeta potential and adsorption measurements. The flotation tests of mineral show that in the presence of SGX, marmatite can be activated by Cu^2＋ and shows good flotability, while pyrite cannot be activated and therefore shows poor flotability. At the pH value range from 4 to 11, the flotation selectivity between marmatite and pyrite is obvious when the SGX concentration is below 50 mg/L. The depression mechanism of SGX on sulfide minerals is discussed based on zeta potential and adsorption isotherm. Zeta potential measurement demonstrates that in the presence of Cu^2＋, SGX can strongly adsorb on the surface of pyrite, while it cannot adsorb on the surface of marmatite. The results of adsorption isotherms show that the adsorption density of SGX on pyrite is greater.
In order to discuss the particle-bubble interaction during the electro-flotation of cassiterite,the recovery of cassiterite with different particle sizes was investigated,and the collision mechanism between the cassiterite particles and H2 bubbles was explored.The flotation tests were carried out in a single bubble flotation cell.The results show that cassiterite particles 10 μm,10-20 μm,20？38 μm and 38-74 μm match with bubbles with size of 50-150 μm,about 250 μm,74 μm and 74 μm,respectively,and a better recovery can be obtained.It is demonstrated that the recovery of cassiterite is influenced by the size of cassiterite particles and bubbles.Furthermore,the probabilities of collision,adhesion,detachment and collection were calculated using the collision,attachment and collection models.Theoretical calculation results show that the collision probability decreases sharply with decreasing particle size and increasing bubble size（below 150 μm）.The attachment probability would increase from the effective collision,leading to the increase of recovery.
Particle-bubble interaction during electro-flotation of cassiterite was investigated by determining the recovery of cassiterite and the collision mechanism of cassiterite particle and H2 bubble. Flotation tests at different conditions were conducted in a single bubble flotation cell. The recovery of cassiterite was found to be affected by cassiterite particle and bubble size. A matching range, in which the best recovery can be obtained, was found between particle and bubble size. Collision, attachment, and detachment of the particle-bubble were observed and captured by a high-speed camera. Particle-bubble collision and attachment were analyzed with the use of particle-bubble interaction theory to obtain the experimental results. An attachment model was introduced and verified through the photos captured by the high-speed camera. A bridge role was observed between the bubbles and particles. Particle-bubble interaction was found to be affected by bubble size and particle size, which significantly influenced not only the collision and attachment behavior of the particles and bubbles but also the flotation recovery of fine cassiterite particles.
The floatability of different crystalline structures of pyrrhotite(monoclinic and hexagonal) was studied.It is shown that the floatability of monoclinic and hexagonal has obvious difference,and that the flotation recovery of monoclinic pyrrhotite is larger than that of hexagonal pyrrhotite using different collectors.When butyl dithiophosphate is used as the collector,the recovery is larger than that by sodium butyl xanthate and sodium diethyl dithiocarbamate.At the pH values ranging from 6 to 9,monoclinic pyrrhotite can be floated well,and the flotation recovery is higher than 90%.Monoclinic and hexagonal pyrrhotites are more easily activated by Cu2+ in acidic conditions than in alkaline conditions.But Cu2+ cannot activate hexagonal pyrrhotite using sodium diethyldithiocarbamate as the collector.By the measurement of contact angle,it is indicated that monoclinic and hexagonal pyrrhotites float well and are easily activated by Cu2+ when dithiophosphate is used as the collector.Using sodium diethyl dithiocarbamate as a collector,the relationship between potential and pH range for pyrrhotite flotation is established.At pH 5,the optimal potential range for flotation of monoclinic pyrrhotite is about 125-580 mV(vs SHE),with the maximum flotation occurring at about 350 mV(vs SHE);the optimal potential range for flotation of hexagonal pyrrhotite is 200?580 mV(vs SHE),with the maximum flotation occurring at about 300 mV(vs SHE).
