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A Study of the Pulp Chemistry and Flotation Performance of
Two Cu-Ni Ores after Milling Using Different Media
ZhenGuo Song, KangKang Chen, XiaoXing Hu, YangGe Zhu
State Key Laboratory of Mineral Processing, BGRIMM, BeiJing, China
ABSTRACT: In this investigation, effects of milled media on the pulp chemistry and flotation performance of
two different Cu-Ni ores from China and South Africa were investigated respectively. For Chinese ore, stainless
media give superior flotation performance compared to iron media. On the contrary, stainless steel milling
obtains lower Cu and Ni recovery for South African ore. For the pulp chemistry, iron media produce higher
EDTA extracted Fe amounts and lower DO level for both ores. The different effects of milled media on flotation
performance of the two Cu-Ni ores may be associated with the differences in mineral constitute.
Keywords: flotation milling media Cu-Ni ore mineral constitute
INTRODUCTION
Flotation is the most widely used mineral processing
method, and the vast majority of ores can be processed by
means of flotation. As an essential process before flotation,
milled operation is of great significance to flotation. On the
one hand, milled operation provides the materials of suit-
able particle size for flotation. On the other hand, various
physical and chemical reactions occur in the milled process,
which directly affect the surface properties of different min-
erals in the ore and the chemical properties of the slurry
solution, thereby affecting the flotation separation behavior
of minerals (Liu et al., 2017 Song et al., 2017). For a long
time, domestic and foreign researchers have attached great
importance to the effect of milled process on mineral flota-
tion, and have conducted extensive research on various typ-
ical minerals and different types of ores, achieving a series of
results of guiding significance to production practice(Song
et al., 2018 Miettunen et al., 2012 Bruckard et al., 2011).
In this paper, two different types of Cu-Ni Sulfide
Ores were taken as the research object. Through milled and
flotation tests, the difference in the flotation behavior of the
two ores after milled with cast iron and stainless steel milled
media was investigated, including the water recovery in the
concentrate, copper and nickel grade, copper and nickel
recovery, etc., in order to investigate the influence of milled
media on the flotation of different types of Cu-Ni Sulfide
Ores, and try to analyze the mechanism of effect of milled
media on the flotation of different types of Cu-Ni Sulfide
Ores from the perspectives including the solution’s chemi-
cal properties such as pH, Eh and DO (dissolved oxygen)
as well as the genetic characteristics of ores such as mineral
composition, etc.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Materials
Two types of ores in this study were derived from China
and South Africa, both of which are magmatic type Cu-Ni
sulfide ores. The mineralogical compositions of two ores
were dermined by MLA(Mineral LiberationAnalyser) and
the results are shown in Table 1.
A Study of the Pulp Chemistry and Flotation Performance of
Two Cu-Ni Ores after Milling Using Different Media
ZhenGuo Song, KangKang Chen, XiaoXing Hu, YangGe Zhu
State Key Laboratory of Mineral Processing, BGRIMM, BeiJing, China
ABSTRACT: In this investigation, effects of milled media on the pulp chemistry and flotation performance of
two different Cu-Ni ores from China and South Africa were investigated respectively. For Chinese ore, stainless
media give superior flotation performance compared to iron media. On the contrary, stainless steel milling
obtains lower Cu and Ni recovery for South African ore. For the pulp chemistry, iron media produce higher
EDTA extracted Fe amounts and lower DO level for both ores. The different effects of milled media on flotation
performance of the two Cu-Ni ores may be associated with the differences in mineral constitute.
Keywords: flotation milling media Cu-Ni ore mineral constitute
INTRODUCTION
Flotation is the most widely used mineral processing
method, and the vast majority of ores can be processed by
means of flotation. As an essential process before flotation,
milled operation is of great significance to flotation. On the
one hand, milled operation provides the materials of suit-
able particle size for flotation. On the other hand, various
physical and chemical reactions occur in the milled process,
which directly affect the surface properties of different min-
erals in the ore and the chemical properties of the slurry
solution, thereby affecting the flotation separation behavior
of minerals (Liu et al., 2017 Song et al., 2017). For a long
time, domestic and foreign researchers have attached great
importance to the effect of milled process on mineral flota-
tion, and have conducted extensive research on various typ-
ical minerals and different types of ores, achieving a series of
results of guiding significance to production practice(Song
et al., 2018 Miettunen et al., 2012 Bruckard et al., 2011).
In this paper, two different types of Cu-Ni Sulfide
Ores were taken as the research object. Through milled and
flotation tests, the difference in the flotation behavior of the
two ores after milled with cast iron and stainless steel milled
media was investigated, including the water recovery in the
concentrate, copper and nickel grade, copper and nickel
recovery, etc., in order to investigate the influence of milled
media on the flotation of different types of Cu-Ni Sulfide
Ores, and try to analyze the mechanism of effect of milled
media on the flotation of different types of Cu-Ni Sulfide
Ores from the perspectives including the solution’s chemi-
cal properties such as pH, Eh and DO (dissolved oxygen)
as well as the genetic characteristics of ores such as mineral
composition, etc.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Materials
Two types of ores in this study were derived from China
and South Africa, both of which are magmatic type Cu-Ni
sulfide ores. The mineralogical compositions of two ores
were dermined by MLA(Mineral LiberationAnalyser) and
the results are shown in Table 1.