Investigations of Monomineralic Flotation of Galena, Sphalerite, and Pyrite at Different Temperatures

Abstract

Temperature variations could potentially impact flotation performance, leading to operational and economic issues. Several historical and currently operating plants across Canada have reported seasonal metal losses as one of their major challenges. Improvements in flotation efficiency at cold temperatures are important for the sustainable development of the industry, especially in view of expanding mining operations to the north and the increasing impact of climate change-originated weather extremes on mining operations. To better understand the driving mechanisms of the seasonal metallurgical variation, the degree of vulnerability of froth flotation to fluctuations in temperature, and to develop recommendations addressing seasonally driven losses, a series of mono-mineral flotation tests were conducted. The observed variations in yield and recovery kinetics for different sulfide minerals follow a similar pattern: higher recovery and slower kinetics at lower temperatures, and lower recoveries and faster kinetics at higher temperature conditions. Following the results of the flotation tests, foam height and stability were investigated at different temperatures to explain the observed variations. A high correlation between changes in mono-mineral flotation behavior and foam properties with temperature was revealed.