Estudio de la influencia del ph y colector primario en el proceso de flotación bulk de oro refractario de material de mina

Abstract

Abstract: The present investigative study was conducted on the bulk flotation process for refractory gold sourced from the Numinec mine located in the Portovelo canton. The study involved performing five flotation tests while varying three different pH levels and three primary collectors for refractory gold in sulfide minerals. The objective was to establish the most suitable primary collector and pH level, evaluating certain experimental conditions to improve the recovery of gold in its refractory form, a common challenge in mining. The Z11 collector (sodium isopropyl xanthate) demonstrated the best performance with a recovery rate of 90.00%. This is attributed to its selectivity for floating chalcopyrite; however, at a neutral pH, it also favored the collection of pyrite. This indicates that these two minerals would be the main ores for gold, suggesting that the combination of this collector and pH could optimize the process for recovering refractory gold in sulfide minerals, thus advancing towards more efficient gold extraction in mining.