Surface chemistry of froth flotation of lead-zinc-arsenic-antimony ores

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This collaborative research project will investigate mechanisms of recovery of unwanted minerals of arsenicand antimony during mineral separation from gold and base metal ores. These unwanted minerals pose seriousenvironmental and technological issues, and their concentrations in valuable mineral concentrates and intailings must be kept within allowed limits. Other undesirable phenomena affecting the efficiency of mineralseparation will also be investigated. The proposed research focuses on froth flotation technology, which is the most important method worldwidefor separation of finely ground mineral particles. Because of the principles of separation by froth flotation, theexperimental work in this research will involve detailed surface-chemical characterization of the minerals andores of interest. A range of advanced techniques and instrumentation will be employed to determine surfacecharge characteristics of the minerals, the chemical composition of their surfaces, chemical reactivity andsolubility in water, and ability to adsorb reagents. Interactions between fine particles of different minerals willalso be investigated to assess their dispersion or aggregation behavior depending on the chemistry of processwater (pH, presence of ions, red-ox potential, etc.). A portion of the experimental program will be dedicated toresearching the surface chemistry of very rare minerals of arsenic and antimony, e.g., the mineral boulangerite.These minerals are reported in increasing amounts in various mineral deposits in Canada and around the world,and understanding their physicochemical properties relevant to mineral processing is an essential scientificoutcome. It is expected that the fundamental results of this research will help with developing more efficient,environmentally friendly, separation processes to deal with the problematic minerals, which will lead toproduction of cleaner materials with minimum environmental impact. The results will have a direct influenceon the mineral processing industry in Canada and abroad.