Mixed decyl mercaptans compositions and use thereof as mining chemical collectors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9527090-B1
Application number	US-201615284809-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Oct 4, 2016
Priority date	Dec 28, 2015
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a process for the recovery of a metal from an ore using a collector composition. The process includes contacting the ore with the collector composition. The collector composition can include sulfur-containing compounds comprising (i) mercaptans comprising branched C 10 mercaptans compounds selected from the group consisting of 5-methyl-1-mercapto-nonane, 3-propyl-1-mercapto-heptane, 4-ethyl-1-mercapto-octane, 2-butyl-1-mercapto-hexane, 5-methyl-2-mercapto-nonane, 3-propyl-2-mercapto-heptane, 4-ethyl-2-mercapto-octane, 5-methyl-5-mercapto-nonane, and combinations thereof; and (ii) sulfides comprising branched C 20 sulfides represented by the structure R 1 —S—R 2 , wherein R 1 and R 2 are each independently a functional group derived from an olefin, wherein the olefin comprises 5-methyl-1-nonene, 3-propyl-1-heptene, 4-ethyl-1-octene, 2-butyl-1-hexene, or combinations thereof.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mining chemical collector composition comprising sulfur-containing compounds, the sulfur-containing compounds comprising:
(i) mercaptans comprising branched C 10 mercaptans compounds selected from the group consisting of 5-methyl-1-mercapto-nonane, 3-propyl-1-mercapto-heptane, 4-ethyl-1-mercapto-octane, 2-butyl-1-mercapto-hexane, 5-methyl-2-mercapto-nonane, 3-propyl-2-mercapto-heptane, 4-ethyl-2-mercapto-octane, 5-methyl-5-mercapto-nonane, and combinations thereof; and
(ii) sulfides comprising branched C 20 sulfides represented by the structure R 1 —S—R 2 , wherein R 1 and R 2 are each independently a functional group derived from an olefin, wherein the olefin comprises 5-methyl-1-nonene, 3-propyl-1-heptene, 4-ethyl-1-octene, 2-butyl-1-hexene, or combinations thereof.

2. The collector composition of claim 1 , wherein the sulfur-containing compounds are present in an amount of less than 0.1 wt. % based on a combined total weight of the collector composition and ore.

3. The collector composition of claim 1 , wherein the sulfur-containing compounds comprise from about 15 wt. % to about 80 wt. % sulfides, and wherein the sulfides are the branched C 20 sulfides.

4. The collector composition of claim 1 , wherein the branched C 10 mercaptans are present in an amount of at least about 50 wt. % based on a total weight of the mercaptans in the collector composition.

5. The collector composition of claim 1 , wherein the branched C 20 sulfides are present in an amount of at least 50 wt. % based on a total weight of the sulfides in the collector composition.

6. The collector composition of claim 1 , further comprising water, a pH control agent, a frothing agent, a hydrocarbon, an oily reagent, a water immiscible liquid, or combinations thereof.

7. The collector composition of claim 1 , further comprising a second collector agent.

8. The collector composition of claim 7 , wherein the second collector agent is xanthate, a xanthic ester, a thionocarbonate, a dialkyl dithiophosphate, or combinations thereof.

9. The collector composition of claim 1 , wherein the sulfur-containing compounds of the collector composition have an odor which is less unpleasant than an odor of mercaptan compounds which are n-decyl mercaptans, n-dodecyl mercaptans, tert-dodecyl mercaptans, or combinations thereof present in an amount of equal to or greater than about 25 wt. % of the mercaptan compounds in an otherwise similar mining collector composition.

10. A metal flotation mixture comprising metal-containing ore and the collector composition of claim 1 .

11. The mixture of claim 10 , wherein the sulfur-containing compounds are present in an amount of less than 0.1 wt. % based on a combined total weight of the collector composition and the ore.

12. The mixture of claim 10 , wherein the sulfur-containing compounds are present in a range from about 4.5 grams to about 50 grams per metric ton of ore.

13. The mixture of claim 10 , wherein the metal comprises gold, silver, platinum, copper, nickel, iron, lead, zinc, molybdenum, cobalt, chromium, or combinations thereof.

14. The mixture of claim 10 , wherein the ore comprises a copper-bearing ore, a molybdenum-bearing ore, or both a copper-bearing ore and a molybdenum-bearing ore.

15. The mixture of claim 10 , further comprising water and a frothing agent.

16. The mixture of claim 15 further comprising a pH control agent, a hydrocarbon, an oily reagent, a water immiscible liquid, or combinations thereof.

17. The mixture of claim 15 , wherein the ore is in the form of ground ore particles.

18. The mixture of claim 10 , wherein the sulfur-containing compounds of the mixture have an odor which is less unpleasant than an odor of mercaptan compounds which are n-decyl mercaptans, n-dodecyl mercaptans, tert-dodecyl mercaptans, or combinations thereof present in an amount of equal to or greater than about 25 wt. % of the mercaptan compounds in an otherwise similar metal flotation mixture.

19. A mining chemical collector composition comprising mercaptans, wherein at least about 50 wt. % of the mercaptans are 1) branched C 10 mercaptans selected from the group consisting of 5-methyl-1-mercapto-nonane (represented by Structure A), 3-propyl-1-mercapto-heptane (represented by Structure B), 4-ethyl-1-mercapto-octane (represented by Structure C), 2-butyl-1-mercapto-hexane (represented by Structure D), 5-methyl-2-mercapto-nonane (represented by Structure E), 3-propyl-2-mercapto-heptane (represented by Structure F), 4-ethyl-2-mercapto-octane (represented by Structure G), and combinations thereof; and 2) 5-methyl-5-mercapto-nonane (represented by Structure H):

20. A metal flotation mixture comprising the mining chemical collector composition of claim 19 .

Assignees

• Chevron Phillips Chemical Co Lp

Inventors

• Byers Jim D
• Matson Michael S
• Kreider Jason L

Classifications

• B03D1/02

  Froth-flotation processes · CPC title

• B03D2203/025

  Precious metal ores · CPC title

• B03D1/012 Primary

  containing sulfur · CPC title

• B03D2201/02

  Collectors · CPC title

• C07C319/04

  by addition of hydrogen sulfide or its salts to unsaturated compounds · CPC title