Influence of sodium 2,3-dihydroxypropyl dithiocarbonate on floatability of chalcopyrite and galena

Sodium 2,3-dihydroxypropyl dithiocarbonate (SGX), which contains —OH and —CSS— in the molecule, was used to explore selective depression of galena from chalcopyrite in the flotation tests with ammonium dibutyl dithiophosphate (DDTP), and zeta potential and adsorption measurements were performed to study the interaction between SGX and minerals. The flotation tests of single minerals show that SGX has slight activation on chalcopyrite and strong depression on galena in the whole pH range. With SGX dosage increasing, the recovery of galena decreases rapidly, while that of chalcopyrite increases slightly. At pH=6, the copper grade and recovery of concentrate are 29.52% and 82.15% respectively when mixture of two minerals is tested. Zeta potential and adsorption measurements indicate that SGX has strong adsorption on galena and slight adsorption on chalcopyrite.