Electrochemical potential in single and mixture of mineral slurries

Abstract

Sulphides being electronic conductors, can act as a source or sink for electrons and hence can support electrode reactions at the surface. Electrochemical potential start to be a variation in flotation systems. As flotation has a number of minerals present in the slurries then in order to interpret electrochemical behaviour in a real flotation systems, the influence exerted by the presence of only mineral particles must be considered. To achieve this objective, studies were made of the effect of the additional of mineral particles on the potential measured by the platinum and chalcopyrite electrodes in solution. Chalcopyrite and pyrite mineral particles were both added to the cell first individually and then as a mixture. Pulp potential was recorded continuously. The results showed that at high pulp densities, mineral and platinum electrodes read the same potential. In the mixture of pyrite/chalcopyrite pulp, galvanic interaction occurs between the two minerals. Being noblest among all sulphide minerals pyrite acts as a cathode and oxidation of chalcopyrite occurs.