Study on regulators of purifying magnesite ore by cationic reverse flotation.

Area of Science:

• Mineral Processing
• Surface Chemistry
• Hydrometallurgy

Background:

• Efficient removal of silicon and calcium impurities from magnesite ore is crucial for its industrial applications.
• Understanding mineral floatability is key to optimizing separation processes in mineral beneficiation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of five chemical regulators on the floatability of magnesite, dolomite, and quartz.
• To determine the optimal conditions for selective separation of these minerals using froth flotation.

Main Methods:

• Floatability tests were conducted on magnesite, dolomite, and quartz using an ether amine collector.
• The influence of five regulators (sodium hexametaphosphate, sodium silicate, trisodium phosphate, tannic acid, monoammonium oxalate) was evaluated at varying dosages.
• Potentiometric measurements and infrared spectroscopy were employed to analyze mineral-collector interactions.

Main Results:

• Sodium hexametaphosphate selectively activated dolomite at concentrations below 40 mg/L and inhibited it at higher dosages.
• Trisodium phosphate and tannic acid demonstrated strong inhibitory effects on dolomite floatability.
• Quartz and magnesite floatability were minimally affected by the tested regulators.
• A three-stage reverse flotation process using sodium hexametaphosphate and water glass achieved approximately 70% recovery and a concentrate grade exceeding 47% for Haicheng magnesite ore.

Conclusions:

• Sodium hexametaphosphate acts as a selective regulator for dolomite in the EAH flotation system.
• Optimized flotation conditions using specific regulators can effectively reduce silicon and calcium content in magnesite ore.
• The interaction between minerals and regulators involves both physical and chemical adsorption, with chemical adsorption playing a role for magnesite and dolomite with SH and SS.