Arsenic contamination significantly affects the quality of copper concentrates, presenting challenges during smelting processes. Considering that covellite and enargite have similar surface properties, they are difficult to separate by flotation, resulting in copper concentrates with excessive levels of arsenic. To address this issue, this study systematically investigated the flotation separation of covellite and enargite in microflotation and bench-scale flotation tests using calcium lignosulfonate as a depressant, with the results indicating that calcium lignosulfonate can be used to separate covellite and enargite because it enables the separation of arsenic-bearing copper minerals into high- and low-arsenic (As 0.57%) copper concentrates. According to contact angle and adsorption tests, scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the differential adsorption of calcium lignosulfonate onto covellite and enargite is the primary reason for their distinct flotation behaviors in the presence of calcium lignosulfonate. The selective depressive effect of calcium lignosulfonate provides a novel approach for improving the flotation separation of arsenic-bearing minerals from copper sulfide minerals.

砷污染严重影响铜精矿的质量，给冶炼过程带来挑战。考虑到蓝铜矿和锂铜矿具有相似的表面性质，它们很难通过浮选分离，导致铜精矿中砷含量过高。为了解决这个问题，本研究系统地研究了微浮选和小规模浮选试验中使用木质素磺酸钙作为抑制剂的蓝铜矿和铜矿的浮选分离，结果表明木质素磺酸钙可以用于分离蓝铜矿和铜矿，因为它能够使将含砷铜矿物分离成高砷和低砷（As 0.57%）铜精矿。根据接触角和吸附测试、扫描电子显微镜-能量色散谱和X射线光电子能谱，木质素磺酸钙在蓝铜矿和硫铜矿上的差异吸附是它们在木质素磺酸钙存在下表现出不同浮选行为的主要原因。木质素磺酸钙的选择性抑制作用为改善含砷矿物与硫化铜矿物的浮选分离提供了一种新方法。