SELECTIVE FLOTATION OF AN AURIFEROUS BULK PYRITE - ARSENOPYRITE CONCENTRATE IN PRESENCE OF SODIUM SULPHOXY SALTS

A fundamental investigation was carried out at bench scale on a bulk a uriferous concentrate, to examine the possibility of further pyrite/ar senopyrite separation by flotation in the presence of reducing modifie rs; gold was particularly associated with arsenic in this industrial p roduct. Arsenopyrite was found to be selectively depressed in the pres ence of sulfur-containing salts (sodium dithionite and sodium sulphite ), during the xanthate flotation of pyrite in acidic media. Various pa rameters such as pulp pH value, concentration of collector and modifie r were studied, and promising results were obtained.