Title: Investigating lead concentrate quality at pasminco broken hill mine
Abstract: Concentrate quality is of considerable importance to Pasminco's integrated milling and smelting operations. This is especially true at its Broken Hill operation where galena feed grades are declining as the mine nears the end of its life. This has significant ramifications in terms of grade and recovery within the lead circuit. Specifically as the galena feed grade decreases it becomes increasingly more difficult to achieve planned lead concentrate grade. The primary cause of this loss in lead grade is reduced selectivity against the various gangue minerals (sphalerite, pyrrhotite and non-sulphide gangue). Historically, fine liberated sphalerite has been one of the main minerals contributing to the dilution of the lead concentrate grade. It has been postulated over the years that the mechanism by which this sphalerite arrived in the lead concentrate was by the inadvertent activation by lead ions. This paper examines both historical and recent plant survey data on a recovery by size basis using classical metallurgical techniques to demonstrate how fine sphalerite reports to the final lead concentrate via genuine flotation rather than entrainement. Then, through the use of some innovative surface chemistry to examine the surface composition of the fine sphalerite, strong evidence is provided to support the earlier theories that fine sphalerite flotation was due to lead activation.
Publication Year: 1999
Publication Date: 1999-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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