Abstract
This paper is focused on recovering
residual sulfide minerals by flotation from the tailing of the Pyhäsalmi
Cu-Zn mine in Finland. The tailing contains 4–8% sulfide sulfur and
according to the static test it is strongly acid producing, having a low
ratio of neutralization potential to acid production potential (NP/AP
< 1). The NP/AP ratio could be markedly improved (> 1) by
flotation treatment of the tailing. Fine pyrite caused sulfide losses in
the flotation while incomplete liberation had only a minor effect on
the acid production potential. The cleaner concentrate obtained during
the flotation of the tailing contained 33% sulfur, 1% zinc, 0.7% copper,
2.8 g/t gold, and 40 g/t silver. Potential process options are
available today for partial beneficiation of the concentrate but further
development work is needed for recovering all the valuable elements and
eliminating the waste pile.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 225-230 |
Journal | Canadian Metallurgical Quarterly |
Volume | 36 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1997 |
MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |