Improvement in the floatability of CuO by dry grinding with sulphur

Cogrinding copper oxide (CuO) with sulphur and flotation of the ground sample are conducted to improve the floatability of the oxide. It has been found that recovery of the ground oxide by flotation has increased with an increase in grinding time and rotational speed. A suite of analytical methods including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and zeta-potential measurement have been performed to characterize the ground sample. XPS analysis and zeta-potential measurement, particularly have confirmed the chemical adsorption and bonding of sulphur on the surface of CuO.