Synergistic Recovery of Copper, Antimony, and Silver Refractory Sulfide Minerals Using an ADD/Z-200 Mixed Collector System

Copper polymetallic sulfide ore from the Asgat copper polymetallic deposit in Mongolia has been found to contain a high grade of antimony and silver in addition to copper. In this research, flotation experiments using sodium butyl xanthate (SBX), ammonium dibutyl dithiophosphate (ADD), isopropyl ethyl thionocarbamate (Z-200), and their mixtures were conducted on a sample from the deposit under natural pH conditions. The results of the flotation tests indicate that optimal conditions were achieved with a feeding of 92% −0.074 mm (92% finer than 0.074 mm), sodium silicate dosage of 800 g/t, sodium humate dosage of 300 g/t, sodium sulfite dosage of 300 g/t, and collectors of 60 g/t of ADD and 60 g/t of Z-200. The closed-circuit flotation tests showed that the recovery of copper, antimony, and silver from the ADD/Z-200 combination was 8.13%, 5.41%, and 9.26% higher than that form the single Z-200 while reducing the reagent cost by 12.75%.