The effect of mixing thiol collectors in the flotation of pure sulphide ores

Includes bibliographical references.Using mixtures of xanthate with either dithiophosphate (DTP) or dithiocarbamate (DTC) has been reported to increase the flotation performance of several sulphide flotation operations. The increased flotation performance has often been termed synergistic. Synergism is defined as the effect exceeding the pro rata contribution of either constituent in the mixture. This thesis aims to investigate the effects that mixtures of either xanthate and di-alkyl DTP or xanthate and di-alkyl DTC have on the pulp phase floatability of pure galena and pyrite by means of microflotation. Both minerals were chosen because they have been widely studied in sulphide flotation, and to determine whether flotation results with mixtures were mineral specific