Mixed thiol collector system in the flotation of copper ore using the REFLUX Flotation Cell (RFC)

Collectors play a critical role in the flotation process as they help bubbles to selectively adsorb onto the surface of target mineral particles. The selection of proper collectors and/or their blends is crucial in optimizing the flotation process for specific ores. The existing literature suggests that the use of a combination of different collector types generally results in an improved flotation performance compared to the use of a single collector type. Thus, this paper, for the first time, investigates the influence of commercial thiol collectors NAX (Minova-Ksante Sp. z o.o), AEROPHINE® 3422 (Solvay S.A.), and Aero® MX-5149 (Solvay S.A.), in varying dosages and combinations (blends), on the flotation performance of Kupferschiefer copper ore in the REFLUX Flotation Cell (RFC). This study aims to explore the impact of collectors on copper and silver flotation using new RFC technology and to replace xanthate with an eco-friendly alternative. A scanning electron microscope (SEM)-based automated mineralogy (AM) was applied for selected flotation tests to track minerals affected by collectors and their blends. The findings show that the increase in the type of collector within the blend improves the flotation performance (i.e., recovery, kinetics, and selectivity). Comparing collector mixtures, AEROPHINE® 3422, a blend of isopropyl ethyl thionocarbamate (IPETC) and dithiophosphinate (DTPi), outperformed the NAX (a blend of sodium isobutyl xanthate (SIBX) and sodium ethyl xanthate (SEX) mixture) in both copper and silver flotation.