Sulfidization-free potassium amyl xanthate for tenorite recovery in flotation of copper-quartz systems

Copper oxide (Cu(II)O) and quartz are critical minerals in industrial applications, and their efficient separation is essential for optimizing resource recovery and waste management. This study investigates the use of Potassium Amyl Xanthate (PAX) as a collector for tenorite (CuO) flotation without prior sulfidization, a traditional but complex and costly process. Microflotation experiments demonstrated that CuO recovery reached approximately 80% at pH 10 with a PAX dosage of 600 g/ton, while quartz recovery remained negligible under the same conditions. Binary microflotation tests revealed the intricate dynamics between quartz and CuO. At a 25:75 Quartz to CuO ratio, quartz recovery in the concentrate was around 60%, while CuO recovery reached approximately 75%. When the proportion of quartz increased to 33:67, quartz recovery dropped slightly to 55%, while CuO recovery remained high at 80%. Remarkably, at a 5:95 ratio, quartz recovery significantly decreased to 35%, and CuO recovery was maximized at nearly 85%. These results demonstrate the selective effectiveness of PAX for CuO flotation, especially at higher CuO concentrations. Sodium silicate effectively suppressed quartz recovery, reducing it to as low as 20% at lower quartz-to-CuO ratios, particularly at pH 7 with a dosage of 400 g/ton. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the effectiveness of separation and identified mineral transformations in concentrates and tailings. The results underscore the potential of PAX as an efficient and cost-effective collector for CuO flotation, offering a simplified and robust approach for improving mineral recovery in complex systems.