Depression of Gangue Minerals Using Tailor-Made CMCs in Sulfide Ore Flotation

ABSTRACT

Carboxymethyl cellulose, CMC, is widely used in mineral processing as

a flotation depressant, mainly for the depression of carbonate and

talcaceous gangue in the flotation of Cu-Ni sulfide and PGM ores.

Although CMC is a common depressant that can be used in the flotation

of different ores, understanding of the interaction mechanisms between

CMC and mineral particles in different flotation circuits and different

pulp conditions is still limited.

Electrokinetic measurements, microflotation and laboratory-scale

flotation tests were carried out to optimise the action of CMC depressants

in the flotation of a PGM ore. Standard and new CMC brands produced

and characterised by Noviant were used in the study. Pure talc and

chlorite minerals and a low-grade PGM ore composite were used as test

materials. A laboratory flotation test evaluation was performed using the

recovery-grade relationship and double value index (DVI) calculation to

estimate the effects of both valuable and harmful components on the

product value.

Solution conditions play an important role in the depression of gangue

minerals such as talc. The most favourable conditions for MgO

depression were found to be mildly acidic in which conditions the

electrostatic repulsion between the CMC molecule and talc is minimised.

Similar effects were obtained with electrolytes that affect the

conformation of the CMC molecule and the mineral surfaces. In addition

to the control of chemical conditions in the pulp, CMC molecules were

modified to optimise structural variables. The new CMC brands

developed in this work showed significant potential to improve flotation

performance, particularly when pulp conditions are controlled.

INTRODUCTION

Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is a water-soluble

polyelectrolyte which is derived from cellulose. Cellulose is a

straight chain polymer consisting of anhydroglucose units linked

together by β-1,4-bonds. It has a regular hydrogen-bonded

structure, which is not water-soluble. In CMC-production the

hydroxyl groups on the cellulose polymer are substituted by

carboxymethyl groups thus making the polymer water-soluble

(Equation 1). Normally CMC is produced as the sodium salt.

The average number of carboxymethyl groups on a glucose

unit determines the degree of substitution (DS). Theoretically the

maximum DS is three but in commercial products the DS

normally varies between 0.5 and 1.5. The DS value mainly

influences the water solubility of the polymer and the rheology

of the solution.

The number of glucose units per cellulose ether molecule

expresses the degree of polymerisation (DP). Increasing the DP

of the product increases the viscosity of an aqueous solution of

CMC. The viscosity of CMC in a certain concentration is usually

used as an indicator of molecular weight because it is more

easily measured. The viscosity of a CMC solution is also affected

by the composition of the water used. In saline environments, for

example, the viscosity is lower due to coiling of the molecule.

Carboxymethyl cellulose, CMC, is widely used in mineral

processing as a flotation depressant, mainly for the depression of

carbonate and talcaceous gangue in the flotation of Cu-Ni sulfide

ores (Vaneev, 1957; Bakinov et al, 1964; Rhodes, 1979;

Steenberg and Harris, 1984; Witney and Yan, 1997). In recent

years, applications for CMC have also been found in the

beneficiation of platinum group metal (PGM) ores. CMC has

been tested for the separation of coal from pyrite and it has been

reported as a selective depressant in the flotation of salt-type

minerals, as a slime depressant in potash flotation (Strathdee et

al, 1982) and as a selective depressant in differential sulfide

flotation (Jin, Hu and Meng, 1987).

The depression of talc and readily floatable magnesia-bearing

minerals in nickel flotation, has been carried out for years,

particularly in Canada, Australia and Southern Africa.

Polysaccharides in the form of natural gums, and starches and

dextrin-type compounds have been the most commonly used

depressants. The use of carboxymethyl cellulose reagents has

been known in copper-nickel flotation since the early 1950s

when research was conducted in the USSR by Vaneev (1957).

There are several possible reaction mechanisms through which

macromolecular organic depressants such as CMC can attach to

mineral surfaces. The proposed mechanisms include electrostatic

interaction, hydrophobic interaction, hydrogen bonding via OH

groups of CMC, chemical bonding via carboxyl groups,

interaction of CMC with metal hydroxy species or metal ions

adsorbed on the mineral surface (Pugh, 1989; Rath, Subramanian

and Laskowski, 1997).

Bakinov et al (1964), and Rhodes (1979) suggested that the

interaction between CMC and mineral surface occurs through the

The average number of carboxymethyl groups on a glucose

unit determines the degree of substitution (DS). Theoretically the

maximum DS is three but in commercial products the DS

mechanism of hydrogen bonding. This could possibly occur

between the unsubstituted OH groups of CMC and the surface

oxygen sites of the broken edge structures of the layered

silicates. The carboxyl groups of CMC may also have chemical

interaction with the cations on the surface of talc, indicated by

the fact that cations dissolved in the pulp have a significant

influence on the depressant action of CMC (Vaneev, 1962).

Somasundaran et al (2003) concluded that the main driving force

gum adsorption on talc is hydrogen bonding rather than

electrostatic or hydrophobic force.

Steenberg and Harris (1984) assumed that the main adsorption

mechanism involves hydrogen bonding of the large number of

hydroxyl groups to the charged sites on the mineral surface. The

presence of a substituent such as carboxyl group presumably

influences the conformation of the polymer rather than its

bonding to the surface. Liu and Laskowski (1999) observed that

1. Outokumpu Research Oy, PO Box 60, FI-28101 Pori, Finland.

Email: jaakko.leppinen@outokumpu.com

2. Noviant Oy, FI-44101 Äänekoski, Finland.

Email: niklas.kreutzman@noviantgroup.com

3. Noviant AB, SE-663 29 Skoghall, Sweden.

Email: goran.kloow@noviantgroup.com

4. Geological Survey of Finland, Mineral Processing, FI-83500,

Outokumpu, Finland. Email: reijo.kalapudas@gtk.fi

Centenary of Flotation Symposium

Brisbane, QLD, 6 - 9 June 2005

977

J LEPPINEN et al

carboxymethyl cellulose shows very low adsorption on

unmodified hydrophilic quartz and hydrophobic methylated

quartz. When quartz was coated with Pb species the adsorption

of CMC increased significantly. Co-precipitation, titration and IR

spectroscopic studies indicate that both carboxyl and hydroxyl

groups of CMC participate in the interaction with the surface Pb

metallic sites. Morris, Fornasiero and Ralston (2002) concluded

that the reduction of electrostatic repulsion between carboxyl

groups of the coiled polymer and the negative charge of surface

sites of talc explains the fact that the adsorption density of CMC

on talc increases at an acidic pH.

Solution conditions are known to have a significant effect on

the action of CMC as a depressant of MgO containing gangue

minerals. Shortridge, Harris and Bradshaw (2000) observed that

increasing ionic strength from 10

EXPERIMENTAL

Electrokinetic measurements, microflotation and laboratory-scale

flotation tests were carried out to investigate the action of CMC

depressants in the flotation of a PGM ore. The CMC products

used in this work were produced and characterised by Noviant,

Äänekoski, Finland. Pure talc and chlorite minerals and a

low-grade PGM ore composite with some base metal sulfides

were used as test materials. Laboratory flotation test evaluation

was performed using the recovery-grade relationship and double

value index (DVI) calculation to estimate the effects of both

valuable and harmful components on the product value.

CMC

M caused an

increase in the depressing behaviour of CMC in talc flotation.

This was attributed to the adsorption of K

-3

M to 10

-2

ions making the zeta

potential of talc more positive, thus reducing electrostatic

repulsion between talc and CMC. Consequently the adsorption of

CMC increased. Cations such as Mg, Ni, Cu, Na were found to

intensify the depressing action of CMC, the strongest effect

being observed for Mg and Ni (Vaneev, 1962). The effect of

divalent cations (Shortridge, Harris and Bradshaw, 2000) was

attributed to greater adsorption of divalent cations on the talc

surface and possible linkages between the talc surface and CMC

molecules.

According to Vaneev (1962) at a low pH (<6.5) the depressing

effect of CMC is strongly increased. This is explained by the fact

that at low pH the negative charge of CMC is significantly

reduced leading to increased association and micelle formation.

In neutral or alkaline conditions the depressing effect of CMC is

reduced, which is explained by the occurrence of CMC as

soluble ions with a high negative charge.

Bakinov et al (1964) investigated the flotation of nickel ores in

an attempt to relate the structure of synthetic organic depressant

to performance. It was found that the nickel content of the

concentrate could be considerably improved by using CMC with

a high degree of polymerisation and low levels of substitution.

Finkelstein, Timohin and Malilina (1964) investigated the

properties of synthesised CMC preparations (DP: 175 - 912,

DS: 0.13 - 1.65) as talc depressants in copper-nickel ore

flotation. It was observed that talc depression was extremely

weak when the degree of substitution (DS) was as high as 1.24.

The depressant action was increased when the DS was lowered

from 1.02 to 0.31 and also when the degree of polymerisation

(DP) was elevated from 150 to about 500. Aqueous CMC

solutions were observed to be effective up to 50 per cent gel

content. At higher gel contents the depressing properties

deteriorated as the solubility of CMC became significantly lower.

In his studies on nickel ores, Rhodes (1979) observed that the

optimum dosage of CMC could be significantly lowered using a

CMC reagent in which the structure was altered, so that the

+

The CMC brands used in this study were provided by Noviant,

Äänekoski, Finland. Some properties of the CMC samples

presented in the study are summarised in Table 1. The degree of

substitution (DP) was defined as follows: low <0.6, medium

0.6 - 1.0 and high >1.0.

TABLE 1

Properties of CMCs reported in this work.

Sample

Reference

Flot-1

Flot-2

Brookfield viscosity

2% solution (mPas)

95

700

360

NaCMC content (%)

74.8

99.9

99.6

pH 1% solution

7.6

7.1

7.4

Degree of

substitution

Medium

Medium

Low

Rheology
Pseudoplastic

Thixotropic Thixotropic

The reference sample was a standard commercial technical

CMC grade, which is used in several application areas. Samples

Flot-1 and Flot-2 were both purified CMCs with a higher CMC

content. Note that the different CMCs were compared using

equivalent dosages of active component. This was done in order

to be able to compare the performance of the samples directly.

The samples Flot-1 and Flot-2 were produced slightly

differently regarding their molecular structures. These controlled

changes give them the ability to develop a specific structure in

solution that interacts more intensely with some mineral

surfaces.

Minerals

Pure talc and chlorite minerals were selected from the Lipasvaara

talc deposit, in Finland. The talc sample contained 30.7 per cent

MgO, 62.8 per cent SiO2 and 1.8 per cent FeO while the

theoretical values of MgO and SiO2 for pure talc are 31.9 per

carboxymethyl groups were substituted in clusters rather than

distributed evenly along the chain.

Although CMC is a common depressant which can be used in

the flotation of different ores, understanding the interaction

mechanisms between CMC and mineral particles in different

flotation circuits and different pulp conditions is still limited. A

better understanding of these mechanisms is needed in order to

optimise the flotation process and make it more cost-effective.

More knowledge about the structural features of CMC important

in flotation processes is also needed. Thus, in order to optimise

the action of CMC depressants the focus will be on finding the

best characteristics of CMC for different mineralogical

compositions and chemical conditions in the slurry. In this work,

electrokinetic measurements, microflotation and laboratory-scale

flotation tests were carried out to investigate the action of CMC

depressants in the flotation of a PGM ore.

cent and 63.4 per cent, respectively. The composition of chlorite

mineral is variable. This sample contained 29.3 per cent MgO

and 30.7 per cent SiO2 and 8.4 per cent FeO. These single

minerals were used in the zeta potential measurements and

microflotation tests.

Ore sample

A low-grade PGM ore containing Pd, Pt, Au, Cu and Ni as

valuable metals was used as a test material in the laboratory

flotation tests (Table 2). The amount of sulfide species in the

sample was small as indicated by a low sulfur content, 0.30 per

cent. The selected ore type had a relatively high talc content thus

demanding strong depressing actions in the flotation. The

analysed MgO content of the ore sample was 16.6 per cent

originating from chlorite and talc. The main mineralogical

978

Brisbane, QLD, 6 - 9 June 2005

Centenary of Flotation Symposium

DEPRESSION OF GANGUE MINERALS USING TAILOR-MADE CMCs IN SULFIDE ORE FLOTATION

composition of the ore was: amphiboles 51 per cent, chlorite

19 per cent, talc 5.8 per cent, quartz 7.2 per cent, plagioclase

14.2 per cent, and others including the sulfides, 2.8 per cent.

Zeta potential tests

comparison with other indices like recovery ratio (RR), recovery

difference (RD), concentration efficiency (CE) or concentration

index (CI), it is much more informative. This is because none of

the methods mentioned above sufficiently uses the effect of both

valuable and harmful elements concurrently in the evaluation of

test results.
The calculation of the DVI is based on grouping of valuable

and harmful components and on their grades and recoveries. The

product of grade and recovery of the valuable component group

is valued as an increasing factor and the product of grade and

recovery of the harmful component group is valued as a

decreasing factor. The DVI is the ratio of these products

multiplied by the ratio of the feed grade of the harmful

component group and valuable component group as follows:

TABLE 2

Composition of the PGM ore sample.

Pd

Pt

(g/t)

(g/t)

Au

(g/t)

PGM+Au

(g/t)

Cu

(%)

Ni

(%)

Fe (%) S

(%)

MgO

(%)

1.75 0.46 0.13

2.34

0.10 0.048 1.58 0.30 16.6

A Coulter Delsa 440 instrument was employed for the zeta

potential measurements. The sample (particle size -20 µm) was

conditioned at a pre-selected pH for five minutes prior to the

measurement. Zeta potentials were measured in 10

DVI = Fh/Fv × (Cv × Recv)/(Ch × Rech)

(2)

M NaCl

solution.

-2

Microflotation tests

A modified Hallimond microflotation cell (70 ml) specially

designed for fine particles was applied for the flotation tests

employing nitrogen as the flotation gas at a rate of 8 cm

/min.

1 g of mineral sample (particle size 20 - 90 µm) was added to

75 ml of water and conditioned at a specified pH for three

minutes CMC was added as one per cent solution and

conditioned for five minutes followed by a supplement of frother

(MIBC, one per cent). Flotation recoveries were determined for

five minutes flotation time. HCl and NaOH were used for pH

adjustment in the flotation tests. Synthetic process water was

used in the microflotation tests. The composition of the water

was the following: Ca

where:

Fh = grade of harmful components in feed

Fv = grade of valuable components in feed

Cv = grade of valuable components in product

Ch = grade of harmful components in product

Recv = recovery of valuable components to product

Rech = recovery of harmful components to product

DVI can also be calculated with the grades of valuable and

harmful components as follows:

DVI = (Fh

/Fv

) × (Cv

/Ch

(3)

2+

100 mg/L, SO4

2-

300 mg/L, Na

20 mg/L, K

25 mg/L, Mg

2+

50 mg/L and Cl

150 mg/L.

because for a certain product:

Recv = wt % × Cv/Fv and Rech = wt % × Ch/ Fh

Laboratory flotation tests

where:

wt % is weight per cent of the product

For the feed, Fv =Cv and Fh =Ch . That is why DVI of the feed

is always = 1.

A normalised double value index (NDVI) for a selected group

of test results can be calculated giving the highest index value of

100 and calculating the lower indices as a percentage of the

highest value.

In this work the sum of precious metals grades (Pt+Pd+Au g/t)

was selected to be the group of valuable components and MgO

alone was used as the representative of harmful components. In a

more detailed evaluation some constant factors based for

example on metal prices can be used in the calculation of grade

and recovery values for the group of valuable and harmful

components.

Ore samples of 1.5 kg were used in the flotation tests. The

sample at a particle size of 100 per cent -1 mm was first ground

in a mild steel rod mill to a fineness of 85 per cent -0.075 mm.

The slurry was then placed in a four-litre flotation cell and water

was added to make a slurry density of 30 per cent. An

Outokumpu type flotation machine with adjustable air flow and

impeller speed was used.

Conditioning with chemicals and rougher-scavenger flotation

were carried in four stages. CMC was used as a depressant, a

mixture of sodium isopropyl xanthate and sodium isobutyl

dithiophosphate as a collector, and MIBC as a frother. Calcium

hydroxide or sulfuric acid was used for pH adjustment. The total

flotation time was 27 minutes.

Three products were collected in each test, rougher

concentrate, combined scavenger concentrate and tailings. These

products were filtered, dried, weighed, and samples for chemical

analyses were separated. Precious metals (platinum, palladium

and gold) were analysed with AAS after fire assay concentration

and aqua regia dissolution. Copper, nickel and iron were

analysed with AAS after nitric acid dissolution. Sulfur was

determined with combustion analysis using a Leco analyser and

MgO with x-ray fluorescence method. The masses and analyses

of flotation products were used to calculate the feed assay and

the recoveries of precious metals and other elements.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Calculation of the double value index (DVI)

The interpretation of electrokinetic measurements of talc is not

straightforward because there are two different surfaces of the

mineral grains, the faces and edges, which are simultaneously

exposed to the solution. The ratio between these surfaces

depends on the fineness to which talc is ground as the relative

area of edges increases when particles are split into smaller units.

It is assumed that the faces of talc are predominantly negatively

charged while the edges are positively charged. Because of the

larger surface area of the faces the net charge is usually negative.

The zeta potential of mineral particles coated by polymers is

known to be dependent on the thickness of the polymer layer due

to shifting of the plane of shear (Morris, Fornasiero and Ralston,

2002). Therefore special caution should be exercised when

interpreting the polymer adsorption results as well.

A new method was developed to evaluate the effect of both

valuable and harmful components of flotation products and to

rank the efficiency of depressant chemicals in the flotation

process. The new index is called the double value index (DVI).

In this type of testwork it was found very valuable and in

Centenary of Flotation Symposium

Brisbane, QLD, 6 - 9 June 2005

979

J LEPPINEN et al

The zeta potentials of talc measured at chosen CMC

concentration were negative at pH values above 2.5 (Figure 1). In

the presence of CMC the zeta potentials were even more

negative, indicating that CMC is adsorbed on talc. Even though

not shown here similar behaviour was also detected on chlorite.

The electrokinetic measurements do not give direct answer about

the reaction mechanism but the impact of CMC upon the zeta

potential over a wide pH-range refers to a reaction mechanism

such as hydrogen bonding or hydrophobic interaction.

Consequently, the fact that CMC is more effective at a low pH

(Figure 4) must be explained by other reaction mechanisms such

as electrostatic interaction.

80

70

Process water

Distilled water

60

50

40

30

20

10

10

talc - CMC (reference)

talc

50

100

150

200

250

CMC (mg/L)

-10
-20

-30

-40

-50

-60

Relatively high CMC dosages were thus needed to optimise the

recovery-grade behaviour in the flotation of high MgO ore types.

Typical dosages for the PGM ore sample studied in this work

were 400 to 500 g/t. For ore samples with even higher talc

content dosages up to 1000 g/t were required to achieve

satisfactory results. Figure 3 shows that MgO recovery decreased

steadily as a function of CMC dosage. A greater impact was

observed, however, in the DV index which also takes into

account the grade and recovery of precious metals in the

concentrate.

-70

0 12 3345 67 8891011

pH

Microflotation tests show that there is a significant difference

between distilled water and synthetic process water (Table 3).

The CMC dosage to depress talc was over 150 mg/L in distilled

water while similar results were obtained at less than 10 mg/L in

synthetic process water (Figure 2). These results are in line with

those of Morris, Fornasiero and Ralston (2002) and Shortridge,

Harris and Bradshaw et al (2000) who observed that the

depressing action increased when the ionic strength was

increased. The authors attributed this phenomenon to the

adsorption of cations such as K

causing a reduction in the

electrostatic repulsion between talc and CMC. Morris et al also

considered the change of conformation of the CMC molecule

from extended to coiled when ionic strength is increased.

In laboratory flotation tests on sulfide ores, the dissolution of

minerals in the grinding and flotation stages usually makes actual

ion concentrations high enough for effective CMC adsorption. In

this case, the analysis of flotation pulp revealed that the typical

concentrations were the following: Ca

2+

20 - 70 mg/L, SO4

2-

200 - 500 mg/L, Na

20 - 40 mg/L, K

15 - 30 mg/L, Mg

2+

20 - 50 mg/L. Thus, the ionic strength was close to that of the

synthetic process water used in the microflotation tests.

The laboratory tests were carried out on a PGM ore that also

contained copper and nickel sulfides such as chalcopyrite and

pentlandite. Rougher-scavenger flotation was used as a basis for

the investigation of different CMC brands and pulp conditions. In

addition to recovery-grade data the DVI was used to evaluate the

effect of both valuable and harmful components of flotation

products. The dosage of CMC is a critical factor in the flotation

of high talc ores. If no CMC was used the mass floated became

very high, making the interpretation of results difficult.

Zetapotential(mV)

FIG 1 - Zeta potential of talc as a function of pH with and without

CMC (10 mg/L). NaCl concentration 10

-2
3

mol/dm

980

Brisbane, QLD, 6 - 9 June 2005

Recovery(%)

FIG 2 - Microflotation results of talc in distilled water and synthetic

process water (Reference CMC, pH 7).

TABLE 3

Composition of synthetic process water used in the microflotation

tests.

Ion

Na

2+

2+

Ca

2-

Mg

SO4

Cl

mg/L

MgORecovery(%)

19.7

26.2

99.1

49.3

301
150

35

16

30

14

12

25

10

20

15

10

100

200

300

400

500

CMC Dosage (g/t)

Centenary of Flotation Symposium

DoubleValueIndex

FIG 3 - Recovery of MgO and double value index (DVI) in the

flotation of PGM ore using different CMC dosages at pH 8.4.

Reagents used: sodium isopropyl xanthate, sodium isobutyl

dithiophosphate and MIBC.

DEPRESSION OF GANGUE MINERALS USING TAILOR-MADE CMCs IN SULFIDE ORE FLOTATION

Solution conditions created by process water or variation in the

pH value greatly affected the flotation results. It is shown in

Figure 4 that the depression of MgO was clearly intensified when

the pH was changed from seven to four. Simultaneously, there

was only a small change in the recovery of PGM + Au and Cu at

pH 7 to 5. At pH values lower than five, however, PGM, Au and

Cu recoveries also started to decrease. This was in line with our

previous investigations conducted on other PGM ores. The

reduction in PGM recovery at low pH was attributed to

disadvantageous flotation conditions for sulfide and PGM

minerals rather than the depressing effects of CMC. A solution

analysis revealed that the dissolution of minerals and iron

released in grinding was strongly increased at pH lower than 5.

The change of solution composition was particularly significant

for iron as its total concentration increased from one milligram

level to several hundred milligrams per litre. As the redox

potential in the pulp was high, ferric ions were formed and

consequently collectors were precipitated, disulfides formed and

PGM mineral surfaces oxidised. It is therefore likely that too low

a pH led to reduced collector concentration and also adversely

affected the surface chemistry of sulfide and PGM minerals.

Many different CMC grades were investigated in the flotation

study including several experimental grades specially developed

for use in flotation. Three different CMC versions are presented

in Table 4. As the best flotation recovery for PGMs was usually

obtained at slightly alkaline conditions, these comparisons were

carried out at 8.4 that was the natural pH of the slurry. In

identical conditions, the reference CMC resulted in MgO

recovery of 19.2 per cent whereas the respective value for the

experimental version Flot-2 was 11.3 per cent. The lower MgO
recovery is reflected in high PGM +Au grades whereas

respective recoveries were not much affected. The slightly lower

PGM recoveries on Flot-1 and Flot-2 are likely to be due to

simultaneous depression of PGM mineral – silicate composite

grains as relatively coarse grinding was used in these rougher

flotation tests. The difference in the DVI between the reference

and Flot-2 was 13.1 to 38.9, indicating very significant

differences in the overall performance of these CMC grades. The

experimental grade Flot-1 showed a better performance than the

reference CMC although both grades are of medium degree of

substitution. In addition to structure specific factors, the

superiority of Flot-1 over the reference can be explained by the

molecular weight as the viscosity of Flot-1 was higher than that

of the reference CMC.

100

19

90

TABLE 4

17

Comparison between three different CMC brands in the flotation of

a PGM ore. Natural pH 8.4; dosage of CMC 430 g/t (calculated as

80

65.4

34.7

15

active CMC).

49.3

70

23.7

22.5

CMC
PGM+Au

Recovery

(%)

PGM+Au

Grade

(g/t)

13

MgO

DVI

59.1

Recovery

(%)

60

11

Reference

73.4

9.92

19.2

50

13.1

Flot-1

71.1

12.5

15.0

22.8

40

Flot-2

70.2

16.1

11.3
7

38.9

PGM+Au

Cu

MgO

30

What are the key differences that make the tailor-made CMCs

better than the standard brands? In addition to the control of

electrostatic repulsion in the system, eg varying the DS value of

the CMC molecule, structure specific factors such as the

distribution carboxymethyl groups can provide the best fit for the

individual ore mineralogy and process water. The conformation

of the CMC molecule affects the adsorption but the fully coiled

species may not be the best mode of occurrence for CMC to

hydrophilise the surfaces. In this work, new CMC molecules

were designed so that in addition to appropriate DS and DP

values, the structure specific factors were controlled to provide

the best hydrophilisation properties for MgO minerals at

reasonable adsorption density. As a result, new CMC brands,

such as Flot-1 and Flot 2, were developed to suit the mineralogy

and process environment of this individual PGM ore.

3 45 67 8

10

pH

Intensification of the depressing effect of talc is in line with

the results of basic research indicating that adsorption density

increases at a low pH. The pKa value of the carboxylic groups in

CMC is 4.3. This means that at a pH lower than 4.3 most

carboxylic groups are in the acid form and at above 4.3 in an

anionic form. Thus CMC macromolecules become negatively

charged when the solution pH is raised above 4.3. Consequently,

electrostatic interaction is likely to play an important role in

controlling the conditions for CMC adsorption on MgO

containing minerals. However, it still remains unanswered to

what extent changes in the conformation of the CMC molecule

such as coiling affect the action of CMC at low pH.

The functioning of CMC in ore flotation can be controlled by

optimising the solution conditions such as pH. As shown in

Figure 4, a low pH favours the action of CMC in most cases.

However, from the point of view of sulfide minerals and precious

metals, pH must be optimised based on flotation testwork. In

addition to the control of solution conditions the CMC molecule

can be modified in order to interact better with the mineral

system of an individual ore. The critical parameters such as

degree of substitution, molecular weight and other structure

specific characteristics can be investigated to improve the

depressing effect of CMC and to reduce the dosage.

CONCLUSIONS

The depressing action of CMC is strongly influenced by solution

conditions such as pH. For the PGM ore studied the best results

were achieved at pH 5 where MgO depression was effective but

the recovery of PGMs and sulfide minerals still remained high.

The microflotation tests indicated that the CMC concentration

needed for the depression of talc was significantly smaller in

high ionic strength solution than in distilled water. Consequently,

low pH and high ionic strength reduce electrostatic repulsion

between CMC molecule and the mineral surface increasing the

adsorption affinity of CMC.

Structure specific factors and the characteristic parameters

such as the degree of substitution and molecular weight affect the

adsorption behaviour of CMCs on MgO bearing minerals.

Instead of changing the solution conditions, structure specific

Centenary of Flotation Symposium

RecoveryofPGM+AuandCu(%)

Brisbane, QLD, 6 - 9 June 2005

MgORecovery ( %)

FIG 4 - Recovery of MgO, PGM+Au and Cu from a PGM ore as a

function of pH. CMC (Flot-1) dosage was 430 g/t. Double value

indices are shown for each pH value at PGM+Au recovery points.

981

J LEPPINEN et al

modifications of the CMC molecules can be designed by

tailor-making CMC for individual mineralogy-process water

combinations. In comparison with the reference CMC, the new

CMC modifications Flot-1 and Flot-2 showed significant

improvement in the flotation performance.

Rath, R K, Subramanian, S and Laskowski, J S, 1997. Adsorption of

dextrin and guar gum onto talc: A comparative study, Langmuir,

13:6260-6266.

Rhodes, M K, 1979. The effects of physical variables of carboxymethyl

cellulose reagents on the depression of magnesia-bearing minerals in

Western Australian nickel sulphide ores, in Proceedings 13th

International Mineral Processing Congress, (ed: J S Laskowski), pp

346-369 (PNW-Elsevier: Warsaw).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the

National Technology Agency of Finland (TEKES), Noviant and

Outokumpu Technology Management.

Shortridge, P G, Harris, P J and Bradshaw, D J, 1999. The influence of

ions on the effectiveness of polysaccharide depressant in the flotation

of talc, in Polymers in Mineral Processing (ed: J S Laskowski), pp

155-169 (Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum:

Montreal).

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