Application of Maleic Acid–Acrylic Acid Copolymer as an Eco-Friendly Depressant for Effective Flotation Separation of Chalcopyrite and Galena

Abstract

Environmentally achieving the flotation separation of chalcopyrite and galena is always a difficult problem due to the similar floatability of the two minerals. To conquer the problem, maleic acid–acrylic acid copolymer (MA/AA), an eco-friendly reagent, was applied as a potential depressant for flotation separation of chalcopyrite from galena for the first time. Single-mineral flotation tests exhibit that MA/AA has a much better depression ability and selectivity than those of traditional galena depressants (Na2S and K2Cr2O7), which can inhibit the floatability of galena well but barely affects the flotation behavior of chalcopyrite in a wide pH range (7–11). A satisfying flotation separation effect of artificially mixed galena and chalcopyrite was realized by using MA/AA as a depressant. Based on a series of measurements including zeta potential, XPS, and contact angle, it appears that MA/AA was much more inclined to be chemically adsorbed on the surface of galena than that of chalcopyrite, which restrains the further adsorption of collectors on galena. In contrast, for chalcopyrite, the low adsorption of MA/AA hardly affects the further adsorption of collectors. According to these findings, MA/AA is considered to be potentially applicable as an effective and eco-friendly depressant in the industrial flotation separation of chalcopyrite and galena.