Molybdenite is the main mineral for molybdenum extraction, which coexists with chalcopyrite in porphyry copper deposits. However, the separation of molybdenite from chalcopyrite by flotation uses large amounts of toxic depressants, causing financial, health and environmental concerns. In this study, an environmentally friendly depressant, calcium lignosulfonate, with a low price was explored to depress chalcopyrite in the presence of kerosene, a collector widely used to float molybdenite. Adsorption isotherms of calcium lignosulfonate on chalcopyrite and molybdenite surfaces and contact angles of chalcopyrite, molybdenite’s basal planes and edge planes in the absence and presence of calcium lignosulfonate and kerosene were determined to understand the adsorptions of calcium lignosulfonate on heterogeneous chalcopyrite and molybdenite surfaces and the subsequent interactions with kerosene. It was found that calcium lignosulfonate effectively depressed chalcopyrite flotation, but had little depression effect on molybdenite because the adsorption density of calcium lignosulfonate on chalcopyrite was significantly higher than that on molybdenite. Calcium lignosulfonate molecules were uniformly adsorbed on chalcopyrite and molybdenite despite the heterogeneous surfaces. In fact, calcium lignosulfonate adsorbed on polar metal ion sites of chalcopyrite surfaces, blocking the adsorption of kerosene from adsorbing on hydrophobic sulphur-rich phases. Analogously, calcium lignosulfonate adsorbed on polar edge planes of molybdenite with little interference with the adsorption of kerosene on hydrophobic basal planes.

辉钼矿是提炼钼的主要矿物，与黄铜矿共存于斑岩铜矿床中。然而，通过浮选从黄铜矿中分离辉钼矿需要使用大量有毒抑制剂，引起财务、健康和环境问题。在这项研究中，探索了一种价格低廉的环保抑制剂——木质素磺酸钙，以在煤油（一种广泛用于浮选辉钼矿的捕收剂）存在的情况下抑制黄铜矿。木质素磺酸钙在黄铜矿和辉钼矿表面的吸附等温线以及黄铜矿的接触角，测定了在不存在和存在木质素磺酸钙和煤油的情况下辉钼矿的底面和边缘面，以了解木质素磺酸钙在异质黄铜矿和辉钼矿表面上的吸附以及随后与煤油的相互作用。研究发现，木质素磺酸钙对黄铜矿浮选有有效的抑制作用，但对辉钼矿的抑制作用不大，因为木质素磺酸钙在黄铜矿上的吸附密度明显高于辉钼矿。尽管表面不均匀，木质素磺酸钙分子仍均匀吸附在黄铜矿和辉钼矿上。事实上，木质素磺酸钙吸附在黄铜矿表面的极性金属离子位点上，阻止煤油吸附在疏水性富硫相上。类似地，