Environmentally friendly alternative depressants in chalcopyrite flotation

Efficient and eco-friendly technologies are required to reduce the environmental effects of the beneficiation plants. Recently, there has been an interest in environmentally friendly alternative depressants. This study explored the effects of various depressants (AERO633, AERO7260, DP3124, DP3125, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), Cyquest4000, and sodium silicate) on chalcopyrite flotation. The experimental results indicated that AERO7260 has the best effect on chalcopyrite flotation, and the dosage is 50 g/t, it can improve the chalcopyrite recovery up to 93.35% as well as chalcopyrite grade up to 36.97%. Meanwhile, AERO7260 had an obvious depression effect on pyrite, reducing pyrite grade to 61.10% and pyrite recovery to 3.35%. Given its low reagent dosage and high selectivity, AERO7260 is a promising depressant that can be used for chalcopyrite flotation. The use of organic depressants will significantly aid the transition to ecologically friendly and sustainable processes. This study shows that organic depressants in chalcopyrite flotation can replace the existing inorganic depressants used in the depression of gangue minerals and that metals can be recovered at high performance by processing appropriately.