Exploring mechanism of xanthate adsorption on chalcopyrite surface: An atomic force microscopy study

In this work, adsorption of the potassium amyl xanthate collector on the pure chalcopyrite surface was studied by applying atomic force microscopy (AFM). The adsorption experiments were carried out at different concentrations of the collector and at diverse pH values in the presence or absence of exterior ions. The changes occurring in the surface morphology of chalcopyrite due to the collector adsorption were evaluated by measuring the contact angle of the collector and its surface coating. According to the 3D images obtained by AFM, an increase in the pH value from 7.5 to 9.5 at two concentrations of 25*10-3 and 50*10-3 g/ton of the collector would increase the number of particles adsorbed on the surface, improve the adsorption morphology, and reduce the contact angle. Moreover, at a constant pH value, increasing the collector would result in the proliferation of contact angles as well as a relative increase in the number of particles. By comparing the morphological surface changes in the tap and distilled water samples, applying tap water, owing to the presence of Cu2+ ions and activation of the surface through the production of CuS, the quality and quantity of adsorption would be increased. The use of tap water not only can account for an appropriate coating by the collector but also causes to reduce the consumption of collector for at least 50%.