The Interaction between Iron Cyanide and Lead Ions in Pyrite Flotation.

Despite being a major cyanide species in the process water, it is unclear how iron cyanide influences pyritic gold ore flotation as well as how lead ions influence pyritic gold ore flotation in the presence of iron cyanide. This study aims at revealing the interaction of Fe(CN) and lead ions in pyrite flotation to investigate the strong depressing effect of Fe(CN) on pyritic gold ore flotation and the significant activating effect of lead ions on pyritic gold ore flotation in the presence of Fe(CN) using flotation, zeta potential measurement and surface analysis methods. The flotation results showed that upon 5 × 10 mol/L Fe(CN) addition, pyrite recovery drastically decreased from about 51.