Cytec Industries - Leading-Edge Chemistry for the Global Mining Community

For more than 85 years, Cytec has been at the forefront in the development of chemical and process technologies to enhance the performance and profitability of mineral and alumina processing operations, with broadly-based basic R&D, globally located application expertise, technical innovation and a world-class line of chemistry.

Cytec performance chemistry for the mining industry includes:

• Promoters and collectors for sulfide and industrial minerals applications
• Frothers
• Depressants
• Flocculants
• Alumina processing chemicals
• Filtering, dewatering and processing aids
• Solvent extraction reagents
• Antiscalants / dispersants
• Coal processing chemicals

PROMOTERS AND COLLECTORS

AEROFLOAT®, AEROPHINE® and AERO® promoters are used for the flotation of a wide range of sulfide and industrial minerals. These products also enhance the recovery of fines and reduce ash content in coal flotation.

AERO 5000 Promoters provide mineral processing engineers with a complete set of tools based on novel chemistries that provide improved performance compared with traditional sulfide collectors – including faster kinetics, better selectivity in complex sulfide separation, effectiveness at lower alkalinity, neutral circuit promotion (NCP), increased precious metals recovery and improved gangue sulfide recovery.

AERO 6000 promoters are alkyl hydroxamate-based collectors designed for industrial mineral and oxide flotation. These are based on a new, patented manufacturing process that provides stable, highly effective products with good economics. Applications for AERO 6000 promoters include improving kaolin clay brightness, increasing recovery of oxidized sulfides, improving gold recovery and producing higher-grade silica sand.

Featured products: AERO 6493, AERO 6973, AERO 6494 promoters

AEROPHINE® promoters are manufactured based on phosphine chemistry (PH3), making them unique among sulfide mineral flotation reagents.

Benefits include:

• Increased recovery of precious metals
• Higher recoveries and selectivity in complex ore flotation
• Higher selectivity against pyrite
• Substantially reduced dosage rates
• Stability and avoidance of hazardous decomposition products
• Low environmental toxicity

FROTHERS

Cytec’s line of AEROFROTH® and the recently integrated OREPREP® frothers include both alcohol- and glycol-based products formulated for optimum effectiveness in all types of flotation systems. This complete line of products, in conjunction with Cytec’s unique collector/depressant chemistries, provides the tools for technical innovation and problem solving in the field.

DEPRESSANTS

Cytec’s research in the area of polymer depressants has resulted in the commercialization of advanced, functionalized polymeric dispersants based on polyacrylamide chemistry. These new products show superior performance of these polymers over other depressants – such as those based on inorganic or natural products. This is a continuing area of R&D activity for Cytec.

Featured products: AERO 7260, 7261 and 7662, AERO 8860 depressants

FLOCCULANTS

Cytec’s high performance SUPERFLOC® flocculants represent the state-of-the-art in chemistry for liquid/solids separations and selective flocculation. These products provide better separations, fast settling rates and clearer overflows across a wide range of mineral processing applications – resulting in increased throughput and product recovery. Current research at Cytec has resulted in higher molecular weight products and products with an even anionic charge distribution. SUPERFLOC flocculants are available in dry, emulsion and liquid forms.

Featured products: SUPERFLOC 1260 flocculants

ALUMINA PROCESSING CHEMICALS

Cytec offers most of the key products required to service the Bayer process.

Featured products: SUPERFLOC HX flocculants; SUPERFLOC dry and emulsion based washer flocculants; SUPERFLOC HX 800 filter aids; SUPERFLOC hydrate flocculants; AERODRI® dewatering aids; CYQUEST® defoamers, humate and iron removal agents

FILTER AND DEWATERING AIDS

AERODRI filter aids increase filter throughput in mineral processing by reducing moisture content and improving release of the filter cake. They are often used to improve coal grade by increasing the BTU rating through reduced moisture content. AERODRI dewatering aids offer unique chemistry that can significantly increase production rates and lower energy and transportation costs.

SOLVENT EXTRACTION REAGENTS

Cytec has pioneered the commercialization of a family of organophosphine extractants that selectively complex with a variety of metals. These extractants exhibit a high degree of selectivity for cobalt against nickel from both chloride and sulfate media. They are particularly useful in the selective recovery of silver in the separation of palladium from platinum. Other applications include recovery of tin from chloride solutions, removal of arsenic from copper electrolytes and the separation of niobium from tantalum.

Featured products: CYANEX® 921 (TOPO reagent)