Particle Size Dependence of the Flotation Kinetics and Recovery for Copper-Molybdenum Ore in Seawater
1Resource development, Sumitomo Metal Mining, Japan
2Resource development, Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC), Japan
3Department of Engineering, Kyushu University, Japan
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed:
E-mail: miki.hajime.090@m.kyushu-u.ac.jp (HM)
E-mail: miki.hajime.090@m.kyushu-u.ac.jp (HM)
Received: April 16, 2025 | Revised: October 22, 2025 | Accepted: October 25, 2025 | Published: December 2025
Abstract
Copper and molybdenum are often contained within porphyry copper ore, and their efficient recovery can be achieved by flotation, but the detailed flotation behavior and effects of various parameters must be elucidated. In this paper, the effect of different particle sizes on the flotation kinetics and recovery of copper-molybdenum ore is investigated by employing flotation experiments and mineral liberation analysis in seawater. The results indicate that liberation and flotation recovery increase with decreasing particle size and that the gangue mineral ratio is much higher after 35 s of flotation. Moreover, the flotation data are analyzed by fitting them with a first-order kinetic equation, confirming that the kinetics and recovery decrease with increasing particle size.
Keywords
copper; flotation kinetics; Mineral liberation analysis; molybdenum; particle size
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