Process for producing an upgraded sulfide mineral concentrate from an ore containing sulfide mineral and silicate clay

Claim 2

In a process for separating metal sulfide minerals from an ore containing said metal sulfide minerals and silicate clay by finely dividing said ore and subjecting said finely divided ore to anionic froth flotation using a suitable anionic collector to produce as a floated product a metal sulfide mineral concentrate containing a least a major portion of said metal sulfide minerals in said ore and silicate clay and a tailing product containing at least a major portion of the gangues of said ore, an improvement comprising: separating said anionic collector from said metal sulfide mineral concentrate and thereafter subjecting said metal sulfide mineral concentrate to cationic froth flotation using a suitable cationic collector to selectively float and separate at least a major portion of said silicate clay to produce as a residual product an upgraded metal sulfide mineral concentrate.

Claim 3

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said anionic collector is selected from the group consisting of xanthates and dithiophosphates.

Claim 4

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said silicate clay comprises a magnesium-silicate clay.

Claim 5

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said collector is inactivated by steaming said metal sulfide mineral concentrate.

Claim 6

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said anionic collector is inactivated by heating said metal sulfide mineral concentrate to a temperature for a time sufficient to inactivate said anionic collector.

Claim 7

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said anionic collector is removed from said metal sulfide mineral concentrate by intimately contacting said metal sulfide mineral concentrate with a suitable solvent.

Claim 8

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said cationic collector is an amine collector.

Claim 9

The improvement of claim 7 wherein said cationic flotation is performed at a pH from about 9.0 to about 11.0.

Claim 10

A process for producing an upgraded metal sulfide mineral concentrate from an ore containing said metal sulfide mineral and silicate clay said method comprising; (a) Finely dividing said ore; (b) Subjecting said finely divided ore to anionic froth flotation using a suitable anionic collector to produce as a floated product a metal sulfide mineral concentrate containing at least a major portion of said metal sulfide mineral in said ore and silicate clay and a tailing product containing at least a major portion of the gangues in said ore; (c) Separating said anionic collector from said metal sulfide mineral concentrate; and (d) Subjecting said metal sulfide mineral concentrate to cationic froth flotation using a suitable cationic collector to selectively float and separate at least a major portion of said silicate clay to produce as a residual product an upgraded metal sulfide mineral concentrate.

Claim 11

A process for producing an upgraded metal sulfide mineral concentrate from an ore containing said metal sulfide mineral and silicate clay said method comprising; (a) Finely dividing said ore; (b) Subjecting said finely divided ore to anionic froth flotation using a suitable anionic collector to produce as a floated product a metal sulfide mineral concentrate containing at least a major portion of said metal sulfide mineral in said ore and silicate clay and a tailing product containing at least a major portion of the gangues in said ore; (c) Separating said anionic collector from said metal sulfide mineral concentrate; and (d) Subjecting said metal sulfide mineral concentrate to cationic froth flotation using a suitable cationic collector to selectively float and separate at least a major portion of said silicate clay to produce as a residual product an upgraded metal sulfide mineral concentrate.

Claim 12

The process of claim 9 wherein said anionic collector is selected from the group consisting of xanthates and dithiophosphates.

Claim 13

The process of claim 9 wherein said silicate clay comprises a magnesium-silicate clay.

Claim 14

The process of claim 9 wherein said anionic collector is inactivated by steaming said sulfide mineral concentrate.

Claim 15

The process of claim 9 wherein said anionic collector is inactivated by heating said metal sulfide mineral concentrate to a temperature sufficient to inactivate said anionic collector.

Claim 16

The process of claim 9 wherein said anionic collector is removed from said metal sulfide mineral concentrate by intimately contacting said metal sulfide mineral concentrate with a suitable solvent.

Claim 17

The process of claim 9 wherein said cationic collector is an amine collector.

Claim 18

The process of claim 15 wherein said cationic flotation is performed at a pH from about 9.0 to about 11.0.