Abstract:The polymetallic primary sulfide ore, containing 0.63% copper and 0.41% zinc, is lowly oxidized and easy-floating. Due to the field production problem of copper and zinc concentrates blending each other in high level and difficult to separate efficiently, the selective flotation scheme of selective copper flotation then zinc flotation from copper tailings is carried out via this experimental study. Under the control of grinding fineness with -74 μm in 80%, the flotation flowsheet is determined, consisting of “one-roughing, three-concentrating and one-cleaning” floating copper from raw ore and “one-roughing, three-concentrating and two-cleaning” floating zinc from copper tailings. Using sodium carbonate sodium silicate as combined depressants to depressing gangue minerals and sodium sulfite zinc sulfate as combined depressants to depressing zinc-bearing minerals, eventually gaining the favorable flotation indexes of 22.30% copper grade, 1.37% zinc grade and 89.91% copper recovery in copper concentrate and 18.71% zinc grade, 0.96% copper grade and 78.49% zinc recovery in zinc concentrate. The aim of efficient copper-zinc separation is achieved.