Occurrence of lead and silver minerals and their interaction with xanthate in slurry of zinc electrolysis anode slime

The background pulp potential of zinc anode slime, and its influence on the occurrence of lead, silver and xanthate, were investigated with thermodynamic method. The thermodynamic conclusion and XRD analysis pointed out that in zinc anode slime, the thermodynamically stable compound of xanthate is dixanthogen, anglesite is the only mineral of lead, and kerargyrite is one of silver minerals occurring. Microflotation tests on single minerals of anglesite and kerargyrite in sulfuric acid solution by amyl dixanthogen indicated that dixanthogen has a much stronger collecting ability to kerargyrite than to anglesite. Molecular dynamic simulation indicated that amyl dixanthogen can only be adsorbed on the surface of kerargyrite in the presence of SO42−. The FTIR tests also verified the selective adsorption of amyl dixanthogen on the surface of kerargyrite in the presence of SO42−.