MINING CHEMICALS
Molybdenum flotation circuit using the AERO NR 7361 depressant
Director at Solvay . “ Our customers asked us to push this even further and set the goal to replace 100 % of the NaSH used ,” Arinaitwe said . “ Given the high demand for our partial NaSH replacement AERO 7260 HFP depressant technology , we knew the market was looking for alternatives , so we continued working to eradicate NaSH .”
Solvay ’ s latest innovation , AERO NR 7361 , replaces 70-100 % of the NaSH used in coppermolybdenum separation and provides a wider operating window than the previous generation product , according to the company .
“ These depressants are chemically stable , highly effective sulphide reagents , making them safer , practical and sustainable alternatives for coppermolybdenum separation because they substantially reduce and / or completely eliminate NaSH consumption ,” Solvay said .
The AERO NR 7361 depressant is now in
commercial use at a large copper operation in North America , which achieved 100 % NaSH replacement at an overall consumption of 1.5 kg / t of molybdenum plant feed compared with the previous 11.5 kg / t NaSH consumption . This provided estimated operating cost savings of around $ 3 million / y due to lower dosage requirements when using AERO NR-7361 , Solvay said .
On top of that , metallurgical results indicated AERO NR 7361 provided advantages in terms of better copper and iron depression , resulting in higher molybdenum concentrate grades , more efficient removal of lead impurities from the final molybdenum concentrate and , overall , stable molybdenum plant operation .
The technology is being rolled out globally with two additional operations in advanced trial phases and several laboratory evaluations progressing and trials pending , Solvay said .
Alfredo Santana , North American Technical Director , concluded : “ Our customers ’ reception has been very positive . The product ’ s performance has met customers ’ expectations
MAY 2021 | International Mining 53