Copper sulfate, commonly known as bile alum, has blue or blue-green crystals in appearance.Copper sulfate is one of the most widely used activators (a class of adjusting agents) in the flotation of sulfide ore. It has activation effects on sphalerite, antimony, pyrite and magnetite, especially on sphalerite that is inhibited by lime or cyanide. It has a good activation effect.In other industrial fields, copper sulfate is commonly used to refine refined copper, and it can also be mixed with slaked lime to prepare pesticide Bordeaux liquid.

Use of copper sulfate

Use of copper sulfate: It is used as an adjuster for flotation of sphalerite, antimony, and pyrite.

The activation mechanism of copper sulfate in the mineral processing process includes two aspects：

1. Metathesis reaction occurs on the surface of the activated mineral to form an activated film.For example, sphalerite is activated with copper sulfate.The radius of divalent copper ions is similar to that of zinc ions, and the solubility of copper sulfide is much smaller than that of zinc sulfide. Therefore, a layer of copper sulfide film can be generated on the surface of sphalerite.After the copper sulfide film is formed, it can easily act with yellow medicine collectors, so that the sphalerite is activated.

2. The inhibitor is removed first, and then the activation membrane is generated.When sodium cyanide inhibits sphalerite, a stable zinc-cyanide complex ion is formed on the surface of the sphalerite, and the copper-cyanide complex ion is more stable than the zinc-cyanide complex ion.If copper sulfate is added to the sphalerite slurry suppressed by cyanide, the cyanide roots on the surface of the sphalerite fall off, and the free copper ions then interact with the sphalerite to form an activated film of copper sulfide, which activates the sphalerite.

Store

Store in a cool, dry and ventilated warehouse.

Precautions

1. Copper sulfate is a heavy metal salt and is toxic.If you eat by mistake, you should immediately consume protein-rich foods such as milk and egg white in large quantities, or use calcium and sodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate to detoxify.

2. In the flotation process, copper sulfate is corrosive. On the one hand, the solution is acidic due to the hydrolysis of copper sulfate, which corrodes the equipment; on the other hand, copper ions can be replaced by iron, and the metal copper precipitates and the iron equipment is corroded.