Activation mechanisms of Cu2+and Pb2+in stibnite flotation
Different activation mechanisms of Cu2+and Pb2+stibnite flotation were studied by microflotation test,adsorption capacity tests and density functional theory(DFT).Microflotation experiments indicated that the recovery rate of stibnite flotation with butyl xanthate(BX)was activated 7.82%higher by Pb2+than Cu2+.The presence of Pb2+increased the amount of adsorbed BX on the stibnite surface.The results of DFT suggested that Cu2+activation induced the formation of Cu-S bonds between the double-bonded S1 atom of BX with Cu,resulting in electron gain.Pb2+activation was followed by the formation of a stable chelating structure between single-bond S1 and double-bond S2 atoms of BX,resulting in electron loss.This system also facilitated dixanthate formation on the mineral surface via interaction between BX and oxygen,thus improving the floatability of stibnite.