METHOD FOR FLOTATION SEPARATION OF SULFIDE COPPER-NICKEL PYRRHOTINE-BEARING ORES Russian patent published in 2008 - IPC B03D1/02 

FIELD: concentration of minerals by froth flotation process, in particular, flotation separation of sulfide copper-nickel pyrrhotine-bearing ores, may be used in flotation concentration of other materials containing copper, nickel and iron minerals.

SUBSTANCE: method involves grinding ore; providing collective flotation in the presence of sulphydryl collectors to produce collective copper-nickel concentrate, nickel-pyrrhotine product and tailings; additionally grinding collective copper-nickel concentrate and providing staged conditioning of intermediate flotation products with sulfur-bearing reactants-modifiers, one of said modifiers containing sulfur in the form of sulfide and other modifier containing sulfur as part of sulfoxy complex; subjecting material pulp to intermediate aeration followed by flotation segregation of copper minerals into selective copper concentrate, said segregation process being carried out in the presence of sulphydryl collector; directing nickel-pyrrhotine product for flotation separation in the presence of reactant-medium regulator, sulphydryl collector and reactant-pyrrhotine depressor for producing of selective nickel concentrate and nickel-bearing pyrrhotine concentrate. Reactants-modifiers containing sulfur as part of sulfoxy complex are water-soluble inorganic and/or organic compositions containing chemical group SO₃H. Weight ratio of sulfide sulfur of one reactant-modifier to chemical group SO₃H of other reactant-modifier is 1:(0.5-14.5), and pH value at final conditioning stage is maintained within a range of from 5.9 to 8.2 units.

EFFECT: enhanced dumping of poor pyrrhotine into waste concentration product without increasing of valuable component losses.

5 cl, 15 ex