Characterization and degradation studies of xanthates in mining waters

黄原酸盐是一种在采矿业中用于辅助泡沫浮选的化合物，通过选择性分离疏水性和亲水性矿物来改善硫化物矿物的金属提取。我们最近完成了一个NSERC参与项目与新阿夫顿矿山（新黄金公司）其中我们成功地发展了毛细管电泳（CE）分离黄原酸酯-戊基、异丁基、异丙基和乙基的方法。所开发的方法使我们能够分离和定量不同的黄原酸盐。在Engage工作中，在较低的百万分之一（ppm）范围内实现了良好的检测限。然而，我们想提高这一检测限，使定量的黄药，甚至更低的浓度可能存在于尾矿样品。因此，在Engage Plus工作中，将努力实现十亿分之一（ppb）范围内的检测限。在此ppb范围内准确测试黄原酸盐将有助于了解改进戊基黄原酸钾（PAX）在回路中的使用的方法，并限制其过度使用，使磨机回路既不会浪费黄原酸盐，也不会使回路挨饿。还将开发液相色谱-质谱法（LC/MS）以验证CE结果的准确性。并利用气相色谱-质谱（GC/MS）联用技术研究了各种黄药的降解过程。这将允许量化的挥发性降解产物演变的黄原酸盐在不同的条件下。该方法的研究结果将提供最适合于在线分析仪的方法的想法，并将采取措施来理解这种应用的局限性。开发在线分析仪的好处在采矿业中具有巨大的意义。工厂管理层特别感兴趣的是检查潜在的在线分析仪的应用开发的方法。从这项工作中，降解过程的全面了解，预计可以应用到浮选回路，以提高浮选效率和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.