A review of flotation and selective separation of pyrrhotite: A perspective from crystal structures

Abstract

Pyrrhotite is an associated mineral that exists widely in sulfide ore. The presence of pyrrhotite will affect the recovery of platinum group minerals. Therefore, researchers have paid increasing attention to the flotation separation of pyrrhotite. Pyrrhotite superstructures owning different Fe/S ratios results in various crystal structures, corresponding to different physical, chemical and electronic properties, and consequently different flotation behavior. In the present paper, a comprehensive review is conducted to discuss the influence of crystal structures on the natural floatability, mineral-reagent interaction, surface oxidation and flotation electrochemistry of pyrrhotite. The selective flotation process of pyrrhotite from its associated minerals is also reviewed in this paper. It is hoped that this review can summarize the newly published research results combined with some representative results from the past, to provide a theoretical basis for the study of the flotation mechanism of pyrrhotite and provide a new direction for future research on pyrrhotite.

Keywords

• Pyrrhotite
• Flotation
• Crystal structures
• Surface properties