Cationic flotation of smithsonite and dolomite from Brazilian Ambrósia Norte Deposit

Abstract The flotation of low-grade oxidized zinc ores has been commonly used to produce marketable concentrates for many years. Several flotation routes are being successfully used: cationic, anionic and a mixture of anionic and cationic. The choice of the route taken is dependent on the major zinc-bearing minerals in the deposit of interest and its associated gangue. Since both the mineralogical composition of zinc ores and the chemical composition of smithsonite and dolomite vary between deposits, the physico-chemical conditions under which selective flotation processes are determined must ...