Selective flotation separation of chalcopyrite from pyrite using 2-phenylimidazoline as a collector: Flotation performance and surface adsorption mechanism

The flotation separation of Cu–Fe sulfide minerals often encounters challenges due to the use of inhibitors, which can lead to difficulties in recovering precious metals and the activation of inhibited minerals, thereby limiting the overall efficiency of resource utilization. Therefore, the exploration of highly selective collectors is of great significance. In this study, 2-phenylimidazoline (2-PI) was investigated as a novel collector for the selective flotation separation of chalcopyrite from pyrite. The variations in the surface properties of minerals were analyzed by means of contact angle tests, zeta potential tests, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and localized electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (LEIS) tests. Flotation experiments indicated that after being treated with 1 × 10 –5 mol/L 2-PI, the flotation recovery of chalcopyrite exceeded 90 %, while that of pyrite was below 10 %. The results of contact angle, zeta potential, AFM, and LEIS tests demonstrated that 2-PI exhibited a stronger affinity for the surface of chalcopyrite. XPS and FT-IR analyses revealed that 2-PI underwent chemical adsorption on the chalcopyrite surface, with no significant adsorption on the pyrite surface. Consequently, 2-PI has the potential to be an alternative collector for the flotation separation of Cu–Fe sulfide minerals and shows promising applications for achieving the selective separation of chalcopyrite and pyrite in the absence of inhibitors.