Reducing Negative Effects of Oxidation on Flotation of Complex Cu–Zn Sulfide Ores

Surface oxidation of the sulfide minerals negatively affects the flotation performance, i.e., the selectivity and even the recoveries at heavy oxidation conditions. Oxidation may take place during the formation of the ore, during mining and stockpiling, and during the flotation process. Stockpiling of large amounts of ore is a common practice in mine sites for blending the process–plant feed. However, a long stockpiling time may cause severe surface oxidation of the complex sulfide ores, particularly the complex Cu–Zn sulfide ores containing secondary copper minerals, which resulted in loss of Cu–Zn selectivity and copper recovery. A complex Cu–Zn sulfide ore was used to investigate effects of stockpile time on flotation performance and to determine the most efficient mitigation method to restore the flotation performance. Batch-scale flotation tests were performed on a heavily oxidized sample using sulfidization, high intensity conditioning, and their combination. The results showed that sulfidization desliming and stage addition of depressants during flotation was the most effective method for producing a copper concentrate from oxidized ores.