Research on mineral processing technology of a complex mixed copper mine in Africa

The mixed copper ore in a copper mining area in Zambia (mainly composed of chalcopyrite and natural copper, accompanied by bornite, malachite, etc., and mainly composed of quartz and amphibole) was analyzed through systematic mineralogy and flotation experiments to establish a key process for efficient recovery of copper sulfide. The optimal rough selection conditions were determined as follows: grinding fineness of -0.075 mm accounted for 75%, using 70 g/t butyl xanthate as the collector, 2 # oil as the foaming agent, and no dispersant added. The total copper recovery rate was 84.62%, and the non acid soluble copper recovery rate was 93.12%. Based on this, through a closed-loop flotation process of one coarse selection, two sweep selection, and three selections, the final grade of copper concentrate reached 18.73%, with a total copper recovery rate of 83.85% and a non acid soluble copper recovery rate of 92.74%. This process can provide an industrially applicable technical solution for the development of similar mixed copper resources.