Estimate of the long-range interactions between hydrophobic surfaces as applied to flotation of sulphide minerals

Using pyrite, chalcopyrite and sphalerite for exemplification, the forces of electrostatic repulsion and hydrophobic attraction between particles are estimated. Based on the experimentally obtained values of the induction time, the limit thickness of a wetting film is calculated to demonstrate the long-range behavior of the attraction forces between sulphides and an air bubble. It is established that the surface hydrophobicity of the tested sulphides increases under the action of a hydrophobic polymer and compounded collecting agents (isopropyl ethyl thiocarbamate and butyl xanthate). This fact enables enhancing the extraction of zinc and sulphide products from tailings of copper-zinc ore concentration. __________ Translated from Fiziko-Tekhnicheskie Problemy Razrabotki Poleznykh Iskopaemykh, No. 5, pp. 107–114, September–October, 2006.