Vale S.a.

Kenneth Erwin Scholey

Manqiu Xu

Jie Dong

The present invention relates to a method of removing organic chemicals and organometallic complexes (organic heavy metal complexes) using zeolites from process water or tailings streams of a mineral processing plant where diethylenetriamine (DETA) or triethylenetetramine (TETA) is used as a flotation reagent and DETA-metal complexes are found in process water or tailings streams. The process water or slurry tailings streams of a mineral processing plant containing DETA, DETA-metal complexes and residual heavy metals may be contacted with natural zeolites. This may be carried out by adding the natural zeolites to the process streams or slurries while mixing with a mechanical mixer to efficiently adsorb DETA, DETA-metal complexes and heavy metals from the process streams on the zeolite. The loaded zeolite may then be discarded with the flotation tailings.

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Oakville, Canada

Kenneth Erwin Scholey