Effect of H 2 O 2 on the Separation of Mo-Bi-Containing Ore by Flotation

摘要

Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) is a strong oxidizer that causes non-selective oxidation of sulfide minerals, and its influence on bismuth sulfide ores is not well-documented. In this study, H 2 O 2 was proposed as an alternative bismuthinite depressant, and its effect on a Mo-Bi-containing ore was intensively investigated by batch flotation tests. Results showed that the addition of H 2 O 2 significantly destabilized the froth phase, thus decreasing the solids and water recovery. The recovery of bismuth in molybdenum concentrate was dramatically decreased to 4.64% by H 2 O 2 compared with that in the absence of H 2 O 2 (i.e., 50.14%). The modified first-order kinetic model demonstrated that the flotation rate of molybdenite slightly declined after H 2 O 2 addition, whereas that of bismuthinite was drastically reduced from 0.30 min ?1 to 0.08 min ?1 under the same condition. Simulation revealed that H 2 O 2 affected the floatability of both molybdenite and bismuthinite but resulted in more detrimental effect to bismuthinite. Hence, H 2 O 2 has the potential to act as an effective depressant in bismuth sulfide ore flotation.