Utilizing oxidation treatment for arsenic mineral removalin producing a cleaner copper concentrate using flotation

The present investigation suggests an oxidation treatment utilizing hydrogen peroxide to separate chalcopyrite, a copper mineral, and enargite, an arsenic-copper mineral, with flotation. The effectiveness of the oxidation treatment in separating both minerals was evaluated through a series of flotation tests. The results of the pure mineral flotation experiment demonstrate that applying an oxidation treatment utilizing a low concentration of hydrogen peroxide has led to an enhancement in the recoveries of chalcopyrite and enargite when potassium amyl xanthate is present. The recovery of both minerals exhibited a decline as the hydrogen peroxide concentration increased. The experimental results indicate that the flotation process employing a binary combination of chalcopyrite and enargite may effectively achieve the separation of enargite and chalcopyrite through a sequential treatment including oxidation and subsequent application of potassium amyl xanthate. It was found that chalcopyrite was strongly depressed, while enargite remained floatable after the oxidation treatment. The proposed oxidation treatment exhibited a separation efficiency of 64%, in which enargite was recovered at a rate of 87% as froth, while chalcopyrite was recovered at a rate of 77% as tailing.