2146 XXXI International Mineral Processing Congress 2024 Proceedings/Washington, DC/Sep 29–Oct 3
CONCLUSIONS
This study investigated the enrichment feasibility of Te, Au,
and Ag minerals from copper tailings (CT) using the froth
flotation process. Analysis of the CT samples using ICP-MS
revealed significant amounts of Te, Au, and Ag. However,
the challenge in recovering Te, Au, and Ag was their pres-
ence as micro-inclusions in pyrite grains, as revealed by
TIMA. TIMA showed that the telluride minerals were 93%
locked within pyrite in CT. Therefore, it emphasized the
need to target pyrite to recover associated Te, Au, and Ag
minerals efficiently.
Bench-scale flotation experiments were employed and
showed varying degrees of success in recovering Te, Au,
and Ag using different collectors and frothers. The major
findings of this study were that AERO 8989 showed the
highest recovery of 79.76% Te at a dosage of 150 g/t when
combined with MIBC at 50g/t, albeit with a lower grade of
0.5 compared to those of EXP30422 and SIPX at 0.8 ppm.
This implies that while AERO 8989 is effective in Te recov-
ery, it may require further optimization or combination
with other collectors that achieve higher grades to achieve
the maximum possible output of Te. Similarly, 150 g/t of
AERO 8989 with 50 g/t of MIBC showed promising results
for Ag and Au, achieving 61.63% and 60.56% recoveries at
0.73 ppm and 0.112 ppm, respectively.
The results of this study emphasized the importance of
sample characterization. Slight changes in the grade of trace
elements, such as Te, Au, and Ag, in as-received materials
can lead to significant errors in recovery and enrichment
interpretations. Additionally, the analysis of CT mineral-
ogy highlighted the negative effect the silicate slimes had on
flotation, where the yield (mass pull) was high and enrich-
ment for Te, Au, and Ag was low.
The findings from this study suggested that reprocess-
ing CT using the froth flotation process to target pyrite-
associated Te, Au, and Ag is a viable approach. This process
can help enhance the recovery of these valuable elements
and contribute towards the sustainable management of
mine waste. However, further optimization of the flotation
process is necessary. This may involve adjusting reagent
dosages, exploring different reagent combinations, or mod-
ifying flotation parameters such as pH, pulp density, and
air flow rate.
These findings provide a promising outlook toward
meeting the growing demand for critical minerals in sustain-
able energy production and other industries. In the future,
research should focus on optimizing and scaling up the
process for pilot-scale testing. This will mark an important
turning point in standard practices for efficiently recovering
Te and other critical minerals. A techno-economic analysis
is recommended to understand the financial scaling-up
costs associated with recovering Au and Ag along with Te,
providing valuable insights into the economic feasibility of
large-scale implementation.
REFERENCES
Actlabs. 2023. “Geochemistry Schedule of Services &Fees
2023 International,” 9–11.
Alsafasfeh, Ashraf, Mostafa Khodakarami, Lana Alagha,
Michael S. Moats, and Ontlametse Molatlhegi. 2018.
“Selective Depression of Silicates in Phosphate Flotation
Using Polyacrylamide-Grafted Nanoparticles.” Minerals
Engineering 127 (October):198–207. doi: 10.1016
/j.mineng.2018.08.009.
Bauer, Diana J., Ruby T. Nguyen, and Braeton J. Smith.
2023. “Critical Materials.”.
Corchado-Albelo, Jose, and Lana Alagha. 2023.
“Characterization of Tellurium, Gold, and Silver
Minerals in Copper Porphyry Processing Streams.” In
Minexchange SME 2023 Conference, 1. Denver, CO,
USA: SME.
DOE. 2010. “Critical Materials Strategy.” Washington,
DC, USA.
Ent, Antony van der, Anita Parbhakar-Fox, and Peter D.
Erskine. 2021. “Treasure from Trash: Mining Critical
Metals from Waste and Unconventional Sources.”
Science of the Total Environment.doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv
.2020.143673.
Federal Register. 2020. “Executice Order 13953:
Addressing the Threat to the Domestic Supply Chain
from Reliance on Critical Minerals From Foreign
Adversaries and Supporting the Domestic Mining and
Processing Industries.” Presidential Documents. Vol. 85.
Washington, DC, USA: Federal Register.
Flanagan, Daniel M. 2023. “Mineral Commodity
Summaries: Tellurium.” Mineral Commodity Summaries
2023. Reston, VA, USA. doi: 10.3133/mcs2023.
Goldfarb, Richard J, Byron R Berger, Micheal W George,
and Robert R Seal II. 2017. “Tellurium.” US Geological
Survey.
Hayat, Muhammad Badar, Lana Alagha, and Syed
Mohammad Sannan. 2017. “Flotation Behavior of
Complex Sulfide Ores in the Presence of Biodegradable
Polymeric Depressants.” International Journal of Polymer
Science 2017:1–10. doi: 10.1155/2017/4835842.
Kelley, Karen D, David L Huston, and Jan M Peter. 2021.
“Toward an Effective Global Green Economy: The
Critical Minerals Mapping Initiative (CMMI).” SGA
News, March 2021. http://www.cet.edu.
CONCLUSIONS
This study investigated the enrichment feasibility of Te, Au,
and Ag minerals from copper tailings (CT) using the froth
flotation process. Analysis of the CT samples using ICP-MS
revealed significant amounts of Te, Au, and Ag. However,
the challenge in recovering Te, Au, and Ag was their pres-
ence as micro-inclusions in pyrite grains, as revealed by
TIMA. TIMA showed that the telluride minerals were 93%
locked within pyrite in CT. Therefore, it emphasized the
need to target pyrite to recover associated Te, Au, and Ag
minerals efficiently.
Bench-scale flotation experiments were employed and
showed varying degrees of success in recovering Te, Au,
and Ag using different collectors and frothers. The major
findings of this study were that AERO 8989 showed the
highest recovery of 79.76% Te at a dosage of 150 g/t when
combined with MIBC at 50g/t, albeit with a lower grade of
0.5 compared to those of EXP30422 and SIPX at 0.8 ppm.
This implies that while AERO 8989 is effective in Te recov-
ery, it may require further optimization or combination
with other collectors that achieve higher grades to achieve
the maximum possible output of Te. Similarly, 150 g/t of
AERO 8989 with 50 g/t of MIBC showed promising results
for Ag and Au, achieving 61.63% and 60.56% recoveries at
0.73 ppm and 0.112 ppm, respectively.
The results of this study emphasized the importance of
sample characterization. Slight changes in the grade of trace
elements, such as Te, Au, and Ag, in as-received materials
can lead to significant errors in recovery and enrichment
interpretations. Additionally, the analysis of CT mineral-
ogy highlighted the negative effect the silicate slimes had on
flotation, where the yield (mass pull) was high and enrich-
ment for Te, Au, and Ag was low.
The findings from this study suggested that reprocess-
ing CT using the froth flotation process to target pyrite-
associated Te, Au, and Ag is a viable approach. This process
can help enhance the recovery of these valuable elements
and contribute towards the sustainable management of
mine waste. However, further optimization of the flotation
process is necessary. This may involve adjusting reagent
dosages, exploring different reagent combinations, or mod-
ifying flotation parameters such as pH, pulp density, and
air flow rate.
These findings provide a promising outlook toward
meeting the growing demand for critical minerals in sustain-
able energy production and other industries. In the future,
research should focus on optimizing and scaling up the
process for pilot-scale testing. This will mark an important
turning point in standard practices for efficiently recovering
Te and other critical minerals. A techno-economic analysis
is recommended to understand the financial scaling-up
costs associated with recovering Au and Ag along with Te,
providing valuable insights into the economic feasibility of
large-scale implementation.
REFERENCES
Actlabs. 2023. “Geochemistry Schedule of Services &Fees
2023 International,” 9–11.
Alsafasfeh, Ashraf, Mostafa Khodakarami, Lana Alagha,
Michael S. Moats, and Ontlametse Molatlhegi. 2018.
“Selective Depression of Silicates in Phosphate Flotation
Using Polyacrylamide-Grafted Nanoparticles.” Minerals
Engineering 127 (October):198–207. doi: 10.1016
/j.mineng.2018.08.009.
Bauer, Diana J., Ruby T. Nguyen, and Braeton J. Smith.
2023. “Critical Materials.”.
Corchado-Albelo, Jose, and Lana Alagha. 2023.
“Characterization of Tellurium, Gold, and Silver
Minerals in Copper Porphyry Processing Streams.” In
Minexchange SME 2023 Conference, 1. Denver, CO,
USA: SME.
DOE. 2010. “Critical Materials Strategy.” Washington,
DC, USA.
Ent, Antony van der, Anita Parbhakar-Fox, and Peter D.
Erskine. 2021. “Treasure from Trash: Mining Critical
Metals from Waste and Unconventional Sources.”
Science of the Total Environment.doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv
.2020.143673.
Federal Register. 2020. “Executice Order 13953:
Addressing the Threat to the Domestic Supply Chain
from Reliance on Critical Minerals From Foreign
Adversaries and Supporting the Domestic Mining and
Processing Industries.” Presidential Documents. Vol. 85.
Washington, DC, USA: Federal Register.
Flanagan, Daniel M. 2023. “Mineral Commodity
Summaries: Tellurium.” Mineral Commodity Summaries
2023. Reston, VA, USA. doi: 10.3133/mcs2023.
Goldfarb, Richard J, Byron R Berger, Micheal W George,
and Robert R Seal II. 2017. “Tellurium.” US Geological
Survey.
Hayat, Muhammad Badar, Lana Alagha, and Syed
Mohammad Sannan. 2017. “Flotation Behavior of
Complex Sulfide Ores in the Presence of Biodegradable
Polymeric Depressants.” International Journal of Polymer
Science 2017:1–10. doi: 10.1155/2017/4835842.
Kelley, Karen D, David L Huston, and Jan M Peter. 2021.
“Toward an Effective Global Green Economy: The
Critical Minerals Mapping Initiative (CMMI).” SGA
News, March 2021. http://www.cet.edu.