Selective flotation of galena and sphalerite using N-(phosphonomethyl) iminodiacetic acid as an eco-friendly depressant^☆

Abstract

This study explored the use of N-(phosphonomethyl) iminodiacetic acid (PMIDA) as an eco-friendly depressant for the selective flotation of galena and sphalerite. Microflotation tests were performed to assess the effectiveness of PMIDA. Moreover, the depression mechanism of PMIDA was analyzed through solution chemistry calculations, zeta potential measurements, contact angle determination, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and density-functional theory calculations. Solution chemistry calculations revealed that the presence of PMIDA as PMIDA³⁻ ions in the pulp optimized the depressive effect on sphalerite. Additionally, contact angle results indicated a significant improvement in the surface hydrophilic of sphalerite after PMIDA treatment. Zeta potential measurements revealed that the adsorption capacity of xanthate on the sphalerite surface after PMIDA treatment significantly decreased. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses indicated that the adsorption of PMIDA on the sphalerite surface was associated with the phosphate functional groups of PMIDA. Density-functional theory simulation data indicated preferential adsorption of PMIDA on the sphalerite surface. These results indicate the potential of PMIDA as a promising depressant to inhibit the flotation of sphalerite and facilitate the selective flotation of galena.

Keywords

Sphalerite / Galena / N-(phosphonomethyl) iminodiacetic acid / Selective flotation

References

[1] P. Huang, M.L. Cao, Q. Liu, Selective depression of sphalerite by chitosan in differential PbZn flotation, Int. J. Miner. Process. 122 (2013) 29-35.

[2] A.P. Chandra, A.R. Gerson, A review of the fundamental studies of the copper activation mechanisms for selective flotation of the sulfide minerals, sphalerite and pyrite, Adv. Colloid Interface Sci. 145 (1-2) (2009) 97-110.

[3] Y. Liu, Z.C. Wei, C. Xue, Selective depression of Pb²⁺-activated sphalerite by potassium ferricyanide in Pb-Zn sulfides flotation separation , Miner. Eng. 182 (2022) 107558.

[4] T.S. Qiu, G.D. Li, X.B. Li, H.S. Yan, C. Liu, Influence of high concentration Zn²⁺ on floatability of sphalerite in acidic system , Trans. Nonferrous Met. Soc. China 31 (7) (2021) 2128-2138.

[5] G.I. Dávila-Pulido, A. Uribe-Salas, R. Espinosa-Gómez, Comparison of the depressant action of sulfite and metabisulfite for Cu-activated sphalerite, Int. J. Miner. Process. 101 (1) (2011) 71-74.

[6] X.Z. Bu, F.F. Chen, W. Chen, Y.H. Ding, The effect of whey protein on the surface property of the copper-activated marmatite in xanthate flotation system, Appl. Surf. Sci. 479 (2019) 303-310.

[7] Y.F. Cui, F. Jiao, W.Q. Qin, C. Wang, X.C. Li, Flotation separation of sphalerite from galena using eco-friendly and efficient depressant pullulan, Sep. Purif. Technol. 295 (2022) 121013.

[8] C.T. Wang, R.Q. Liu, W. Sun, N.W. Jing, F.F. Xie, Q.L. Zhai, D.D. He, Selective depressive effect of pectin on sphalerite flotation and its mechanisms of adsorption onto galena and sphalerite surfaces, Miner. Eng. 170 (2021) 106989.

[9] J.C. Feng, B.Q. Yang, H.Y. Zhu, H.Q. Zhang, M.Y. Zeng, The utilization of 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid (PBTCA) as a novel sphalerite depressant in the selective flotation of galena from sphalerite, Appl. Surf. Sci. 569 (2021) 150950.

[10] Y.F. Cui, F. Jiao, W.Q. Qin, L.Y. Dong, X. Wang, Synergistic depression mechanism of zinc sulfate and sodium dimethyl dithiocarbamate on sphalerite in Pb-Zn flotation system, Trans. Nonferrous Met. Soc. China 30 (9) (2020) 2547-2555.

[11] D. Liu, S. Zhou, Application of chemical coagulation to phosphorus removal from glyphosate wastewater, Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 19 (4) (2022) 2345-2352.

[12] C. Fonseka, S. Ryu, Y.W. Choo, M. Mullett, R. Thiruvenkatachari, G. Naidu, S. Vigneswaran, Selective recovery of rare earth elements from mine ore by Cr-MIL metal-organic frameworks, ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng. 9 (50) (2021) 16896-16904.

[13] N. Akhlaghi, G. Najafpour-Darzi, Multifunctional metal-chelated phosphonate/Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanocomposite particles for defeating antibiotic-resistant bacteria , Powder Technol. 384 (2021) 1-8.

[14] D.Y. Yushchenko, Z.P. Pai, T.B. Khlebnikova, Kinetics of N-phosphonomethyl iminodiacetic acid catalytic oxidation with hydrogen peroxide under the phase-transfer conditions, Catal. Lett. 152 (7) (2022) 2025-2032.

[15] S. Westerback, K.S. Rajan, A.E. Martell, New multidentate ligands. III. Amino acids containing methylenephosphonate groups¹ , J. Am. Chem. Soc. 87 (12) (1965) 2567-2572.

[16] Y.Y. Wang, L.Y. Chai, H. Chang, X.Y. Peng, Y.D. Shu, Equilibrium of hydroxyl complex ions in Pb²⁺-H₂O system , Trans. Nonferrous Met. Soc. China 19 (2) (2009) 458-462.

[17] M. Lipowska, J. Klenc, A.T. Taylor, L.G. Marzilli, Fac-99mTc/Re-tricarbonyl complexes with tridentate aminocarboxyphosphonate ligands: Suitability of the phosphonate group in chelate ligand design of new imaging agents, Inorg. Chim. Acta 486 (2019) 529-537.

[18] D.Z. Liu, G.F. Zhang, G.H. Huang, Y.W. Gao, M.T. Wang, The flotation separation of pyrite from serpentine using lemon yellow as selective depressant, Colloids Surf. A Physicochem. Eng. Aspects 581 (2019) 123823.

[19] H.Y. Zhu, B.Q. Yang, J.C. Feng, F.F. Jia, Evaluation of 1-hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid as an efficient and low-toxic sphalerite depressant in the selective flotation of galena from sphalerite, J. Clean. Prod. 329 (2021) 129612.

[20] B.Q. Yang, H.Y. Zhu, L.Y. Zeng, J.C. Feng, H.H. Luo, An environmental-friendly sphalerite depressant (2-Hydroxyphosphonoacetic Acid) for the selective flotation separation of sphalerite from galena, J. Mol. Liq. 343 (2021) 117614.

[21] M. Ejtemaei, A.V. Nguyen, Characterisation of sphalerite and pyrite surfaces activated by copper sulphate, Miner. Eng. 100 (2017) 223-232.