A METHOD FOR BENEFICIATION OF VALUE MINERALS FROM ORES

摘要

A method which comprises beneficiating value minerals from ores as herein described with selective rejection of gangue or other value minerals by: providing an aqueous pulp slurry of finely-divided, liberation-sized ore particles which contain said value minerals and said gangue minerals; conditioning said pulp slurry with an effective amount of gangue depressant, a value mineral collector and a frothing agent such as herein described, respectively, said depressant comprising a polymer having recurring units of the formula wherein each R is, individually, hydrogen or a C1-C4 alkyl group, each R1 is, Individually, hydrogen or methyl, R2 is hydrogen or a C1-C4 alkyl group, each R3 is, individually, hydrogen or a C1-C4 alkyl group, R4 is hydrogen or a C1-C4 alkyl group, each X is, individually, hydrogen or a hydroxy! group with the proviso that at least one X is a hydroxyl group, x is a mole fraction ranging from about 60% to about 98%, y is a mole fraction ranging from about 1% to about 20% and z is a mole fraction ranging from about 1% to about 20% and the molecular weight of the polymer ranges from about 1,000 to about 2 million; and subjecting the conditioned pulp slurry to froth flotation and collecting the value mineral having a reduced content of gangue or other value mineral.