MINING CHEMICALS
Patricio Zarate, Clariant’ s Global Sulfides Technology Manager
28
Clariant’ s Global Sulfides Technology Manager.
In addition to the Competence Center in Chile, Clariant Mining Solutions operates six Research, Application & Development Centres to support copper producers throughout the world.
Flotation is the main method to process copper sulphide ores, and in certain cases, Clariant’ s collectors it says have increased copper recovery by up to 4 %, making thousands of additional tons of metal available annually to the copper market.“ Our selective HOSTAFLOT™ collectors for copper flotation can replace xanthates with non-flammable, ready-to-use liquid products that deliver high-grade concentrates. The effectiveness of this technology was proven at a major mine in Chile, which was able to achieve copper grades of over 30 %.”
In addition to innovative collectors, Clariant’ s expertise in copper flotation includes frothers and depressants. For example, Clariant’ s FLOTICOR™ DP sulphide depressants for molybdenum flotation effectively depress iron and copper sulphides.“ At a North American mine, our innovative depressant technology successfully replaced NaSH, delivering the target molybdenum grade and recovery at a much lower dosage than NaSH, eliminating the risk of H 2 S exposure and the need for scrubbers.”
Clariant’ s FLOTANOL™ frothers are tailormade for each operation to help the plant achieve optimal froth stability and maximise recovery. Clariant laboratories have state-ofthe-art equipment to design frothers taking into consideration bubble size and stability and surface tension to provide superior selectivity against liberated gangue particles.
The company concluded:“ Using innovative flotation technologies and working in partnership with our customers, Clariant Mining Solutions is helping the mining industry deliver more copper for the energy transition with a focus on performance, safety, and efficiency.”
AECI Mining- driving flotation performance via mineralogy-driven reagent design
At the recent EXPOCOBRE 2026 event in Lima, Peru, Ronnie Madiba from AECI Mining presented its latest advancements in flotation improvement strategy, highlighting how a mineralogy-driven approach to reagent design is transforming metallurgical
performance across operations.
AECI Mining states:“ As orebodies become more complex, conventional flotation methods are increasingly under pressure. Traditional reagent selection, often based on isolated testing and single-metric optimisation, struggles to account for the dynamic interactions within flotation systems. This can lead to unstable performance, reduced recovery, and inefficient reagent use.”
AECI’ s approach it says places mineralogy at the centre of reagent design. Instead of treating collectors, depressants, and frothers as independent components, they are developed and optimised as an integrated system tailored to the ore’ s specific mineralogical characteristics.
This methodology enables improved
selectivity between valuable minerals and gangue; more stable and predictable flotation performance; optimised reagent consumption; and unlocking of performance through integration.
“ The importance of system-wide optimisation was clearly demonstrated in frother selection. While conventional methods suggested one product based on froth stability, metallurgical results showed that an alternative frother delivered superior recovery when evaluated as part of the full reagent system.”
Industrial implementation of this optimised frother – collector combination resulted in a 3 – 5 % increase in recovery; lower tailings grades; and consistent concentrate grade quality. Sustained operational stability has been experienced to date.
A comparative case study on a Central African copper ore highlighted the limitations of the conventional approach and the benefits of AECI’ s methodology.
By transitioning to a mineralogy-driven, integrated reagent system, the operation achieved an 11 % increase in copper recovery, reduced reagent consumption, and a stepchange improvement in the grade – recovery
The AECI Mining exhibition booth at EXPOCOBRE 2026. AECI’ s mineralogy-driven reagent design it argues represents a significant step forward in flotation optimisation
relationship.
Beyond flotation, AECI is also advancing tailings and concentrate treatment through its new SENDEC product range. Designed to enhance dewatering performance, these solutions enable improved water recovery and support the production of dry, stackable tailings or concentrates.
Key benefits demonstrated in recent case studies include up to
International Mining | JUNE 2026