Cationic Guar Gum as a depressor for a Gangue in froth flotation of Pyritic-zinc ore from Rajpura Dariba Mines, Udaipur, India

Flotation in one of the important operations in ore beneficiation process. Chemical auxilliaries play an important role in the froth flotation process 1. In order to obtain a successful flotation of slimy sulphide ores, two types of chemical auxilliaries are basically in use i. e. ( i ) a hydrocolloid acting as flocculent for gangue material, commonly referred as a depressor and (ii) a collector or a metal reagent, which conditions the mineral surface ( by adsorption and making it more hydrophobic ) so that it will rise to the surface when a frother is added. Besides these, certain other chemicals are also sometimes used to augment the action of either depressor or collector 2 .