METHOD FOR FLOTATION OF PENTLANDITE FROM POLYMETALLIC PYRRHOTINE-CONTAINING MATERIALS Russian patent published in 1998 - IPC

FIELD: methods for flotation of pentlandite from polymetallic pyrrhotine-containing materials. SUBSTANCE: method includes preliminary treatment of material pulp in lime medium with salt of dithiocarbamic acid, conditioning with sulfhydryl collector and foaming agent and stage-by-stage flotation separation of pentlandite into foam products in continuous aeration of pulp with oxygen-containing gas. Separation of pentlandite at the first stage is carried out for 24-32 min and aeration of pulp with oxygen-containing gas is effected at weight ratio of elemental oxygen, salkali salt of dithiocarbamic acid and pyrrhotine of 1:(0.02-0.11):(140-215). Oxygen-containing gas is used in the form of mixture containing 15-45 wt.-% of elemental oxygen and gases inert for the given system. Pentlandite is separated into two stages to produce two desired nickel-containing products: selective nickel concentrate sent directly by pyrrometallurgical production, and pyrrhotine concentrate processed by the known methods, for instance, by autoclave-oxidizing oxygen leaching with production of sulfide concentrate and technical sulfur. In this case oxygen-containing absorbent gas of the process of autoclave oxidizing leaching is used for pulp aeration at the first stage of flotation separation of pentlandite. EFFECT: higher efficiency. 3 cl, 1 tbl