The behavior of oxidized copper during the sulphide Cu ore flotation in KGHM Polska Miedź S.A

The work included a synthetic review of the occurrence of oxidized Cu minerals in the concentrators belonging to KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. and problems occurring in the flotation of oxidized Cu ores. The course of flotation of oxidized copper in concentrators A, B and C was examined on the basis of archival results and specialized sampling campaigns. It was found that the content of oxidized copper in the flotation tailings ranges from 0.015-0.05%, and in the concentrate from 0.23 to 0.72%. The share of oxidized copper is highest in the case of flotation tailings and ranges from 10.7 to 25.7%. Cu_ox's share is only a few percent in concentrates. Analyzing the average annual balance samples, the Cu_oxt contents were clearly higher for all concentrators than for the sampling campaign samples, which, as indicated, is caused by the long storage time of the analytical samples. Evaluations of revenues from Cu_ox recovery were made and a further directions of research on the recovery of oxidized copper from flotation tailings were proposed. (paper)