X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy in Mineral Processing Studies

Surface phenomena play the crucial role in the behavior of sulfide minerals in mineral processing of base and precious metal ores, including flotation, leaching, and environmental concerns. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is the main experimental technique for surface characterization at pres...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied sciences 2020-08, Vol.10 (15), p.5138
Main Author: Mikhlin, Yuri
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adsorbates
Anions
Chemical bonds
Energy
Flotation
Hydrometallurgy
Interface stability
Interfaces
Leaching
Materials science
Mineral processing
Minerals
Ores
Oxidation
Pastes
Photoelectron spectroscopy
Photoelectrons
Precious metal ores
Pressure
Sample preparation
Slurries
Spatial discrimination
Spatial resolution
Spectroscopy
sulfide minerals
Sulfides
Sulfur
surface
Surface properties
Vacuum
X ray photoelectron spectroscopy
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Summary:Surface phenomena play the crucial role in the behavior of sulfide minerals in mineral processing of base and precious metal ores, including flotation, leaching, and environmental concerns. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is the main experimental technique for surface characterization at present. However, there exist a number of problems related with complex composition of natural mineral systems, and instability of surface species and mineral/aqueous phase interfaces in the spectrometer vacuum. This overview describes contemporary XPS methods in terms of categorization and quantitative analysis of oxidation products, adsorbates and non-stoichiometric layers of sulfide phases, depth and lateral spatial resolution for minerals and ores under conditions related to mineral processing and hydrometallurgy. Specific practices allowing to preserve volatile species, e.g., elemental sulfur, polysulfide anions and flotation collectors, as well as solid/liquid interfaces are surveyed; in particular, the prospects of ambient pressure XPS and cryo-XPS of fast-frozen wet mineral pastes are discussed. It is also emphasized that further insights into the surface characteristics of individual minerals in technological slurries need new protocols of sample preparation in conjunction with high spatial resolution photoelectron spectroscopy that is still unavailable or unutilized in practice.
ISSN:2076-3417
2076-3417
DOI:10.3390/app10155138