Patent ID: 8734757

Claim:
A process for producing a mineral concentrate that is at least a substantially odor-free product from a mined material that comprises: (a) floating selected mineral particles from a slurry of the mined material and forming a wet concentrate in the form of a froth product slurry containing floated mineral particles, with the flotation step including adding a collector in the form of an organic xanthate compound to the slurry of the mined material, wherein the collector adsorbs onto selected mineral particles and promotes the flotation of the mineral particles, and (b) treating the froth product slurry containing the floated mineral particles by i. heating the froth product slurry containing the floated mineral particles to a temperature of not less than 50° C. to destroy the organic xanthate compound; or ii. adding one or more chemicals to prevent residual organic xanthate compounds or mineral concentrates from being converted to odorous compounds, wherein the one or more chemicals is selected from the group consisting of nitrate, molybdate, activated carbon and mixtures thereof, and thereby facilitate forming a concentrate of the mineral particles with a low organic compound loading.