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

这项合作研究项目将探讨回收不需要的砷矿物质的机制 和锑。这些不需要的矿物质造成严重的 环境和技术问题，以及它们在有价值的精矿和 尾矿必须保持在允许的范围内。其他影响矿物效率的不良现象 分离也将被研究。 建议的研究重点是泡沫浮选技术，这是世界上最重要的方法 用于分离精细研磨的矿物颗粒。由于泡沫浮选分离的原理， 这项研究的实验工作将涉及矿物的详细表面化学特征， 感兴趣的矿石一系列先进的技术和仪器将被用来确定表面 矿物的电荷特性、其表面的化学成分、化学反应性和 在水中的溶解度和吸附试剂的能力。不同矿物的细颗粒之间的相互作用将 还可以研究它们的分散或聚集行为，这取决于工艺的化学性质 水（pH值、离子存在、氧化还原电位等）。实验计划的一部分将致力于 研究砷和锑等非常稀有的矿物的表面化学，例如，红硅钙石 据报道，这些矿物在加拿大和世界各地的各种矿床中的含量越来越多， 了解它们与矿物加工有关的物理化学性质， 结果。 预计这项研究的基本成果将有助于开发更有效， 环境友好的分离过程来处理有问题的矿物，这将导致 以最小的环境影响生产更清洁的材料。结果将直接影响 在加拿大和国外的矿物加工行业。

This collaborative research project will investigate mechanisms of recovery of unwanted minerals of arsenic and antimony during mineral separation from gold and base metal ores. These unwanted minerals pose serious environmental and technological issues, and their concentrations in valuable mineral concentrates and in tailings must be kept within allowed limits. Other undesirable phenomena affecting the efficiency of mineral separation will also be investigated. The proposed research focuses on froth flotation technology, which is the most important method worldwide for separation of finely ground mineral particles. Because of the principles of separation by froth flotation, the experimental work in this research will involve detailed surface-chemical characterization of the minerals and ores of interest. A range of advanced techniques and instrumentation will be employed to determine surface charge characteristics of the minerals, the chemical composition of their surfaces, chemical reactivity and solubility in water, and ability to adsorb reagents. Interactions between fine particles of different minerals will also be investigated to assess their dispersion or aggregation behavior depending on the chemistry of process water (pH, presence of ions, red-ox potential, etc.). A portion of the experimental program will be dedicated to researching 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 scientific outcome. 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 to production of cleaner materials with minimum environmental impact. The results will have a direct influence on the mineral processing industry in Canada and abroad.