Application of an Environmentally Friendly Depressant Psyllium Seed Gum to Separate Chalcopyrite from Talc: Separation Performance and Depression Mechanism
Xun Wang, Chenlu Chen, Xian Xie, Xiong Tong, Ruosong Xie
Abstract
Talc exhibits relatively good natural floatability, making it difficult to separate chalcopyrite from talc by using collectors alone. In this present study, a novel environmentally friendly depressant, psyllium seed gum (PSG), was used for the depression of talc in chalcopyrite flotation. The depressing effects of PSG on both chalcopyrite and talc were rigorously examined via flotation investigations, and reagent-induced selective depression of PSG was also elucidated by multiple characterization techniques, including ζ-potential measurements, contact angle determinations, total organic carbon (TOC) adsorption quantification, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses. The data of single-mineral flotation investigations showed that the recoveries of talc and chalcopyrite were 13.63 and 90.31%, respectively, at pH 8, a PSG dose of 20 mg/L, and a SBX dose of 20 mg/L. The data of the artificial ore blend flotation trial displayed that a grade of 29.79% and a recovery of 91.43% of Cu, and a grade and recovery of 4.56 and 15.43% of MgO, respectively, in the concentrate could be obtained by using PSG as a depressant. Surface characterization results confirmed that PSG showed weak adsorption on the chalcopyrite surface with minimal impact on their hydrophobicity, whereas it can adsorb onto talc surfaces through hydrogen bonding, significantly reducing surface hydrophilicity and depressing floatability, thereby enabling effective separation between chalcopyrite and talc. Therefore, this study provides a new solution strategy and mechanism basis for the efficient removal of talc in chalcopyrite.