Contribution to Improve Water Process Recycling in the Flotation Plant of a Complex Zn-Pb-Cu Sulphide Ore

Abstract

Moroccan Mining Company of Guemassa (MCG) produces from a complex sulphide ore three concentrates using Aerophine 3418A in the flotation circuits of galena and chalcopyrite and potassium amyl xanthate for sphalerite recovery. Water scarcity in the flotation plant area imposes to think of reducing fresh water use by recycling the tailing water process. Substitution of PAX by Aerophine 3418A in the zinc circuit will result in a tailing water process containing one kind of collector which could be easily controlled and recycled in the overall MCG plant. Optimizing and modeling study using experimental design methodology showed that the targeted substitution of PAX in MCG plant is possible: at flotation time of 5 min; 40 g/t of collector; 200 g/t of CuSO₄ and pH of 12, Aerophine 3418A is more selective toward Fe than PAX. Zinc recovery reached 72% when flotation time was extended to 15 minutes.