Characterization and degradation studies of xanthates in mining waters

黄原酸盐是在采矿业中用于辅助泡沫浮选的化合物，通过选择性地分离疏水和亲水矿物来提高硫化物矿物的金属提取率。我们最近完成了与New Afton Mine （New Gold Inc.）的anNSERC合作项目，在该项目中，我们成功地开发了一种毛细管电泳（CE）方法，用于分离黄药-戊基，异丁基，异丙基和乙基。该方法可对不同黄原酸盐进行分离和定量。在Engage工作中，在较低的百万分之一（ppm）范围内获得了良好的检测限。然而，我们希望改进这一检测限，以便对尾矿样品中可能存在的更低浓度的黄原酸盐进行定量分析。因此，在Engage Plus的工作中，将努力达到十亿分之一（ppb）范围内的检测极限。在这个ppb范围内准确测试黄原药将有助于了解改善电路中戊基黄原药钾（PAX）使用的方法，并限制其过度使用，从而使工厂电路不会浪费黄原药，也不会使电路饥饿。还将开发液相色谱-质谱（LC/MS）来验证CE结果的准确性。我们还将采用气相色谱-质谱（GC/MS）技术研究各种黄药的降解过程。这将允许在不同条件下从每种黄原酸演变的挥发性降解产物的量化。该方法的结果将为最适合流上分析仪的方法提供思路，并将采取步骤来了解此类应用的局限性。流上分析仪的发展带来的好处对采矿业有着巨大的影响。工厂管理特别感兴趣的是检查开发方法的电位流分析仪的应用。期望从这项工作中对降解过程有一个全面的了解，然后可以应用于浮选回路，以提高浮选效率并最大限度地减少产品的降解，从而提供广泛的货币和工业效益。

Xanthates are compounds used to aid froth flotation in the mining industry to improve metal extraction ofsulphide minerals by selectively separating hydrophobic and hydrophilic minerals. We recently completed anNSERC Engage project with New Afton Mine (New Gold Inc.) in which we successfully developed a capillaryelectrophoresis (CE) method for separating the xanthates - amyl, isobutyl, isopropyl, and ethyl. The developedmethod enables us to separate and quantify the different xanthates. In the Engage work, a good detection limitwas achieved in the lower part-per-million (ppm) range. However, we would like to improve upon thisdetection limit to enable the quantification of even lower concentrations of xanthates which may be present inthe tailings samples. Thus, in the Engage Plus work efforts will be made to attain a detection limit in thepart-per-billion (ppb) range. Accurate testing of xanthates in this ppb range will help to understand ways ofimproving the use of potassium amyl xanthate (PAX) in the circuit and limit its overuse so that the mill circuitis not wasting xanthate nor starving the circuit. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) will alsobe developed to verify the accuracy of the CE results. We would also study the degradation process of variousxanthates using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). This will allow for quantification of thevolatile degradation products evolved from each of the xanthates under varying conditions. The findings fromthis method would provide ideas on the method best suited for an on-stream analyzer and steps will be taken tounderstand the limitations of such an application. Benefits from development of an on-stream analyzer havehuge implications in the mining industry. Mill management is particularly interested in examining the potentialon-stream analyzer application of the developed methods. A comprehensive understanding of the degradationprocess is expected from this work and can then be applied to flotation circuits to improve flotation efficiencyand minimize degradation of product, thus providing extensive monetary and industrial benefit.