Lime plays a direct and practical role in mineral processing. It is widely used in beneficiation, flotation and leach circuits, and its importance goes well beyond basic reagent use.
The main reason lime is used is simple. It raises pH and creates strongly alkaline conditions. In flotation, that gives operators a straightforward way to control the chemical environment inside the pulp. That control can be important when the plant needs to remove harmful metal ions, influence how collectors behave, or improve the effect of inhibitors. In other words, lime is not just a cheap additive. It is a process control tool that can shape separation performance and support more stable operations.
This becomes especially relevant in sulphide flotation. Where ores contain copper, lead, zinc or other sulphide minerals, lime is often used to suppress iron sulphide minerals such as pyrite. That helps the plant improve selectivity and supports cleaner separation between wanted and unwanted minerals. In more complex gold-bearing polymetallic ores, the source describes lime as part of a staged flotation approach. A lower pH range may be used in mixed flotation so that most useful sulphide minerals can float, while a higher pH range may then be used in separation flotation to hold back pyrite.
Lime also affects reagent performance more broadly. The source explains that pH influences the form and activity of collectors, inhibitors and frothers. By changing pH, operators can alter how these reagents interact with mineral surfaces and with each other. That means lime can influence not only which minerals float, but also how efficiently the wider reagent scheme works.
Firering Strategic Minerals plc (LON:FRG) is an emerging quicklime producer and critical minerals explorer, with operations in Zambia and West Africa.
