Flotation enrichment of antimony ore using the environmentally friendly reagent-collector KCSb

The problems of extraction and processing of antimony ores are analyzed. The reagent-collector of oxide forms of antimony KCSb is described. It is used to develop operating parameters of the flotation concentration of ore at the Zhipkhosha deposit. The semi-industrial model experiments identified that KCSb is more efficient thatn other known reagents used to enrich antimony oxides. The operating technological conditions of the flotation process were optimized; the use of a collecting reagent indicates the expediency and effectiveness of its use. This fact was confirmed by technical and economic calculations, according to which the profit was up to 30 million rubles per 1 million of processed ore per year. An increase in the resulting product in the form of concentrate was 700–800 tons with 32–36% antimony content, which corresponds to the KSUF-3. This method can be used by antimony deposits containing oxide minerals (10% or more).

Mixed Metal-Antimony Oxide Nanocomposites: Low pH Water Oxidation Electrocatalysts with Outstanding Durability at Ambient and Elevated Temperatures

Electrochemical water splitting with a proton-exchange membrane electrolyte provides many advantages for the energy-efficient production of high-purity H₂ in a sustainable manner, but the current technology relies on high loadings of expensive and scarce iridium at the anodes, which are also often unstable in operation. To address this, the present work scrutinises the electrocatalytic properties of a range of mixed antimony-metal (Co, Mn, Ni, Fe, Ru) oxides synthesised as thin films by a simple solution-based method for the oxygen evolution reaction in aqueous 0.5 M H₂SO₄. Among the noble-metal free catalysts, cobalt-antimony and manganese-antimony oxides demonstrate good stability over 24 h and reasonable activity at 24 ± 2 °C, but slowly lose their initial activity at elevated temperatures. The ruthenium-antimony system is highly active, requiring an overpotential of only 0.39 ± 0.03 and 0.34 ± 0.01 V to achieve 10 mA cm^-2 at 24 ± 2 and 80 °C, respectively, and most importantly, remaining remarkably stable during one-week tests at 80 °C. Detailed characterisation reveals that the enhanced stability of metal-antimony oxides water oxidation catalysts can arise from two distinct structural scenarios: either formation of a new antimonate phase, or nanoscale intermixing of metal and antimony oxide crystallites. Density functional theory analysis further indicates that the stability in operation is supported by the enhanced hybridisation of the oxygen p- and metal d-orbitals induced by the presence of Sb.

ANTIMONY OXIDE FORM ENRICHMENT LINE ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE «ZHIPKHOSHA» FIELD

The antimony industry in the Russian Federation is currently experiencing difficult times. The main enterprise that produces and enriches antimony today is GeoProMining LLC, which owns a processing plant at the Syralakhskoye field (Yakutia), where the ore of the Sentanchansky field is processed, production on a smaller scale is carried out in the Krasnoyarsk Territory at the Udereyskoye field of the Novoangarsky GOK, and associated production is carried out at the Olympiadinsky GOK from the tailings of the gold-antimony ore enrichment. Many fields are not being developed at all. The reason for this is the profitability of the development and processing of antimony deposits, due to the low price of metal and the difficulty of obtaining conditioned concentrates due to the presence of metal oxide forms in antimony-containing deposits. Oxide forms of metal in deposits occur in the form of lenses and films, which complicates the enrichment (extraction) of such metal due to the lack of methods and methods or the high cost of processing. The article presents the relevance of the problem of extraction and processing of antimony ores. The reagent-collector of antimony oxide forms KCSb is presented and, based on its application, the parameters of flotation ore dressing of the Zhipkhosha deposit are developed, which contributes to a significant increase in metal recovery. It is noted that the use of КCSb is more effective in comparison with other known reagents used for the enrichment of antimony oxides. The results of studies of this collector reagent, when it is introduced into the technological scheme of flotation of antimony oxide forms, are obtained, which indicate the feasibility and effectiveness of its use. This fact is confirmed by a technical and economic calculation, according to which the conditional profit is 30-31 million rubles per 1 million processed ore per year. The increase in the resulting products (concentrate) is about 700-800 tons, with a quality (antimony content) of 32-36 %, corresponding to the KSUF-3 brand. This method is recommended for use in various antimony and antimony-containing deposits containing oxide minerals (from 10 % or more)