Project Overview

A copper-gold mine in South America built a 15,000 t/d flotation concentrator and adopted a combined flotation plus leaching process to maximize recovery of both metals. Y&X supplied eight units of 120m³ rougher flotation cells, together with a secondary conditioning tank, a collector/frother dosing system, and a blower air supply system.

Equipment and Process

The 120m³ rougher flotation cells handle the bulk of the throughput, providing large-volume, high-circulation flotation to recover copper and gold-bearing sulfides from the primary grind. A secondary conditioning tank with dedicated collector and frother addition ensures reagents are fully dispersed and the pulp is well conditioned before flotation, improving bubble-particle attachment and concentrate grade. The blower air supply system delivers stable aeration across all cells for consistent froth formation.

The flowsheet combines flotation with subsequent leaching. Flotation first concentrates copper and associated gold into a rougher concentrate. The flotation tailings are then re-leached to recover residual gold, which significantly raises overall gold recovery and reduces metal loss to final tailings.

Results

Copper recovery reached over 88%, and gold recovery over 65%. By re-leaching flotation tailings, the operation recovers additional gold that would otherwise be discarded, maximizing resource utilization. The equipment runs stably under the plant high-throughput duty.

Conclusion

This South American copper-gold project shows the value of pairing large-volume flotation cells with a flotation-leaching combined process for polymetallic recovery. Y&X supplies flotation machines and supporting systems — including rougher, scavenger and cleaner cells, conditioning tanks, reagent dosing, and air supply — for large-scale mineral processing plants. Contact us with your ore type, capacity and recovery targets for a tailored solution.