Utilization of petrochemical by-products as a new frother in flotation separation of molybdenum

Recycling of petrochemical by-products is important for environmental protection and sustainable utilization of resources. In this study, petrochemical by-product was analyzed and used for the first time as a cost effective frother in flotation separation of molybdenum to replace terpineol. A significant improvement in molybdenum recovery was achieved by replacing terpineol with petrochemical by-products as frother. Properties of the petrochemical by-product and terpineol solutions, such as foaming, bulk rheology, and foam stability, were investigated through surface tension and rheological measurements. The properties of the petrochemical by-product solution are generally better than that of terpineol. In addition, results obtained in bench-scale flotation showed that the recovery of molybdenum substantially improved by 2.5% in the locked-cycle tests when the concentration of the petrochemical by-product was 100 g/t. Industrial tests showed that the molybdenum recovery obtained by using petrochemical by-products increased by 2.55% which can lead to about 6918192 RMB (1001113 USD) net profit per year. Therefore, these encouraging results suggest that petrochemical by-products can effectively be utilized in mineral processing plants as frothers, and interestingly, Jinduicheng Molybdenum Industry Co., Ltd, China is one that started to use it in industrial production by replacing terpineol.