Lead Recovery from Zinc Leaching Residue by Flotation

With the depletion of natural mineral resources, secondary resources such as zinc leaching residue (ZLR) should be processed to recover valuable metals. In this study, flotation recovery of lead (anglesite) in ZLR from a zinc smelting plant was investigated, and the mechanism studied by using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy measurements. The flotation results indicated lead recovery and grade of the concentrates of 76.39% and 47.18%, respectively, after flotation of one-roughing, one-scavenging, three-cleaning, and middles back to the flowsheet in turn after washing ZLR with tap water. FTIR measurements suggested that salicylhydroxamic acid was chemically adsorbed onto the surface of anglesite (PbSO4). The results of this study show that lead in ZLR can be successfully recovered by flotation, having not only economic but also environmental benefits.