Process for beneficiating sulfide ores

Claim 2

A process for beneficiating sulfide ores from gangue, excluding coal, which comprises contacting the sulfide ore with a metal containing compound under conditions which cause the metal containing compound to react substantially at the surface of the metal sulfide particles to the substantial exclusion of the gangue particles so as to alter the surface characteristics of the metal sulfide values thereby causing a selective enhancement of the magnetic susceptibility of one or more metal sulfide values of the ore to the exclusion of the gangue in order to permit a physical separation between the metal sulfide values and the gangue.

Claim 3

The process of claim 1 wherein the metal mineral values of the ore undergo an increase in magnetic susceptibility.

Claim 4

The process of claim 1 wherein the treated ore is subjected to a magnetic field to separate the particles which have been made magnetic from those which have not.

Claim 5

The process of claim 1 wherein the ore is ground to liberate the metal sulfide particles prior to its treatment with the metal containing compound.

Claim 6

The process of claim 1 wherein the sulfide ore in a specific system is contacted with the metal containing compound at a temperature within a range of 125° C. less than the general decomposition temperature of the metal containing compound in a specific system for the ore being treated.

Claim 7

The process of claim 1 wherein the metal containing compound is employed in an amount from about 0.1 to about 100 kilograms per metric ton of ore.

Claim 8

The process of claim 1 wherein the sulfide ore is contacted with the metal containing compound for a time period of from about 0.05 to about 4 hours.

Claim 9

A process for the beneficiation of a metal sulfide ore from gangue, excluding coal, wherein the ore is treated with from about 0.1 to 100 kilograms of a metal containing compound per metric ton of ore at a temperature within a range of 125° C. less than the general decomposition temperature of the metal containing compound in a specific system for the ore being treated for a period of time from about 0.05 to about 4 hours to cause the metal containing compound to react substantially at the surface of the metal sulfide particles to the substantial exclusion of the gangue particles so as to alter the surface characteristics of the metal sulfide values thereby causing a selective enhancement of the magnetic susceptibility of one or more metal sulfide values contained in the ore to the exclusion of the gangue so as to permit a physical separation between the metal sulfide values and the gangue.

Claim 10

A process for the beneficiation of a metal sulfide ore from gangue, excluding coal, wherein the ore is treated with from about 0.1 to 100 kilograms of a metal containing compound per metric ton of ore at a temperature within a range of 125° C. less than the general decomposition temperature of the metal containing compound in a specific system for the ore being treated for a period of time from about 0.05 to about 4 hours to cause the metal containing compound to react substantially at the surface of the metal sulfide particles to the substantial exclusion of the gangue particles so as to alter the surface characteristics of the metal sulfide values thereby causing a selective enhancement of the magnetic susceptibility of one or more metal sulfide values contained in the ore to the exclusion of the gangue so as to permit a physical separation between the metal sulfide values and the gangue.

Claim 11

The process of claim 1 or claim 8 wherein the metal containing compound is an iron containing compound.

Claim 12

The process of claim 9 wherein the iron containing compound is selected from the group consisting of ferrous chloride, ferric chloride, ferrocene derivatives, ferric acetylacetonate and ferric acetylacetonate derivatives.

Claim 13

The process of claim 1 or claim 8 wherein the metal containing compound is a carbonyl.

Claim 14

The process of claim 11 wherein the carbonyl is selected from the group consisting of iron, cobalt and nickel.

Claim 15

The process of claim 12 wherein the iron carbonyl comprises iron pentacarbonyl.

Claim 16

The process of claim 12 wherein the metal containing compound is employed in an amount of from about 1 to about 50 kilograms per metric ton of ore and the process is carried out at a temperature within a range of 50° C. less than the general decomposition temperature of the metal containing compound in a specific system for the ore being treated for a period of time from about 0.15 to about 2 hours.

Claim 17

The process of claim 14 wherein the metal containing compound is employed in an amount of from about 2 to about 20 kilograms per metric ton of ore.

Claim 18

The process of claim 15 wherein the metal containing compound is iron carbonyl and the treatment process is carried out at a temperature within a range of 15° C. less than the general decomposition temperature of the iron carbonyl in the specific system for the ore being treated.

Claim 19

The process of claim 1 or claim 8 wherein the metal sulfide values are physically separated from the gangue by a magnetic separation process.

Claim 20

The process of claim 17 wherein the magnetic separation process is a wet magnetic separation process.

Claim 21

The process of claim 1 or claim 8 wherein the metal sulfide values are physically separated from the gangue by an electrostatic technique.

Claim 22

The process of claim 10 wherein the iron containing compound is selected from the group consisting of ferrous chloride, ferric chloride, ferrocene and ferric acetylacetonate.

Claim 23

The process of claim 20 wherein the iron containing compound is ferrous chloride.

Claim 24

The process of claim 20 wherein the iron containing compound is ferric chloride.

Claim 25

The process of claim 20 wherein the iron containing compound is ferrocene.

Claim 26

The process of claim 20 wherein the iron containing compound is ferric acetylacetonate.

Claim 27

A process for the beneficiation of a metal sulfide ore from gangue, excluding coal, selected from the group consisting of galena, molybdenite, sphalerite, bornite, cinnabar, arsenopyrite, smaltite, chalcocite, chalcopyrite, orpiment, realgar, pentlandite in pyrrhotite, stibnite and tetrahedrite which comprises for the ore in a specific system contacting the sulfide ore with an iron containing compound selected from the group consisting of ferrous chloride, ferric chloride, ferrocene, ferric acetylacetonate and iron pentacarbonyl at a temperature within a range of 125° C. less than the general decomposition temperature of the iron containing compound in the specific system for the ore being treated for a period of time from about 0.15 to about 2 hours to cause the iron containing compound to react substantially at the surface of the metal sulfide particles to the substantial exclusion of the gangue particles so as to alter the surface characteristics of the metal sulfide values thereby causing a selective enhancement of the magnetic susceptibility of one or more metal sulfide values of the ore to the exclusion of the gangue in order to permit a magnetic separation between the metal sulfide values and the gangue.

Claim 28

A process for the beneficiation of a metal sulfide ore from gangue, excluding coal, selected from the group consisting of galena, molybdenite, sphalerite, bornite, cinnabar, arsenopyrite, smaltite, chalcocite, chalcopyrite, orpiment, realgar, pentlandite in pyrrhotite, stibnite and tetrahedrite which comprises for the ore in a specific system contacting the sulfide ore with an iron containing compound selected from the group consisting of ferrous chloride, ferric chloride, ferrocene, ferric acetylacetonate and iron pentacarbonyl at a temperature within a range of 125° C. less than the general decomposition temperature of the iron containing compound in the specific system for the ore being treated for a period of time from about 0.15 to about 2 hours to cause the iron containing compound to react substantially at the surface of the metal sulfide particles to the substantial exclusion of the gangue particles so as to alter the surface characteristics of the metal sulfide values thereby causing a selective enhancement of the magnetic susceptibility of one or more metal sulfide values of the ore to the exclusion of the gangue in order to permit a magnetic separation between the metal sulfide values and the gangue.

Claim 29

The process of claim 25 wherein the iron containing compound is iron pentacarbonyl employed in an amount from about 1 to about 50 kilograms per metric ton of ore and the process is conducted at a temperature within a range of 15° C. less than the general decomposition temperature of the iron carbonyl in the specific system for the ore being treated for a time period of from about 0.15 to about 2 hours.

Claim 30

The process of claim 26 wherein the metal sulfide ore is galena.

Claim 31

The process of claim 26 wherein the metal sulfide ore is molybdenite.

Claim 32

The process of claim 26 wherein the metal sulfide ore is sphalerite.

Claim 33

The process of claim 26 wherein the metal sulfide ore is bornite.

Claim 34

The process of claim 26 wherein the metal sulfide ore is cinnabar.

Claim 35

The process of claim 26 wherein the metal sulfide ore is arsenopyrite.

Claim 36

The process of claim 26 wherein the metal sulfide ore is smaltite.

Claim 37

The process of claim 26 wherein the metal sulfide ore is chalcocite.

Claim 38

The process of claim 26 wherein the metal sulfide ore is chalcopyrite.

Claim 39

The process of claim 26 wherein the metal sulfide ore is orpiment.

Claim 40

The process of claim 26 wherein the metal sulfide ore is realgar.

Claim 41

The process of claim 26 wherein the metal sulfide ore is pentlandite.

Claim 42

The process of claim 26 wherein the metal sulfide ore is stibnite.

Claim 43

The process of claim 26 wherein the metal sulfide ore is tetrahedrite.

Claim 44

The process of claim 25 wherein the iron containing compound is ferrocene which is employed in an amount from about 2 to about 20 kilograms per metric ton of ore.

Claim 45

The process of claim 40 wherein the metal sulfide ore is galena.

Claim 46

The process of claim 40 wherein the metal sulfide ore is molybdenite.

Claim 47

The process of claim 40 wherein the metal sulfide ore is sphalerite.

Claim 48

The process of claim 25 wherein the metal containing compound is ferric acetylacetonate which is employed in an amount from about 2 to about 20 kilograms per metric ton of ore for a time period of from about 0.25 to 1 hour.

Claim 49

The process of claim 45 wherein the metal sulfide ore is galena.

Claim 50

The process of claim 45 wherein the metal sulfide ore is molybdenite.

Claim 51

The process of claim 45 wherein the metal sulfide ore is sphalerite.

Claim 52

The process of claim 25 wherein the iron containing compound is ferrous chloride which is employed in an amount from about 2 to about 20 kilograms per metric ton of ore for a period of time from about 0.15 to 2 hours.

Claim 53

The process of claim 49 wherein the metal sulfide ore is galena.

Claim 54

The process of claim 25 wherein the metal containing compound is ferric chloride which is employed in an amount from about 2 to about 20 kilograms per metric ton of ore for a time period from about 0.15 to about 2 hours.

Claim 55

The process of claim 51 wherein the metal sulfide ore is galena.