Flotation performances of polymorphic pyrrhotite

The floatability of different crystalline structures of pyrrhotite (monoclinic and hexagonal) was studied. It is shown that the floatability of monoclinic and hexagonal has obvious difference, and that the flotation recovery of monoclinic pyrrhotite is larger than that of hexagonal pyrrhotite using different collectors. When butyl dithiophosphate is used as the collector, the recovery is larger than that by sodium butyl xanthate and sodium diethyl dithiocarbamate. At the pH values ranging from 6 to 9, monoclinic pyrrhotite can be floated well, and the flotation recovery is higher than 90%. Monoclinic and hexagonal pyrrhotites are more easily activated by Cu²⁺ in acidic conditions than in alkaline conditions. But Cu²⁺ cannot activate hexagonal pyrrhotite using sodium diethyldithiocarbamate as the collector. By the measurement of contact angle, it is indicated that monoclinic and hexagonal pyrrhotites float well and are easily activated by Cu²⁺ when dithiophosphate is used as the collector. Using sodium diethyl dithiocarbamate as a collector, the relationship between potential and pH range for pyrrhotite flotation is established. At pH 5, the optimal potential range for flotation of monoclinic pyrrhotite is about 125–580 mV (vs SHE), with the maximum flotation occurring at about 350 mV (vs SHE); the optimal potential range for flotation of hexagonal pyrrhotite is 200–580 mV (vs SHE), with the maximum flotation occurring at about 300 mV (vs SHE).