Kaolinite and hematite flotation separation using etheramine and ammonium quaternary salts

Abstract

a b s t r a c tClay minerals are widespread in various types of mineral deposits. When present, they contribute to the high content of certain parameters such as silica, aluminium, and magnesium. This study aimed to find selectivity windows to separate hematite from a clay mineral (kaolinite) to allow reduction of the levels of silica and alumina in iron ore. The collectors used were: etheramine Flotigam EDA (EDA) and the ammonium quaternary salts: dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) and Tomamine Q-14-2 PG (AQ142). The depressant used was corn starch. The separation selectivity was achieved using DTAB in the pH range between 4 and 10. Using the collectors EDA and AQ142, the selectivity was obtained only in the presence of starch, at pH 10. Laboratory scale tests showed that as far as the particles size is concerned, better selectivity was achieved with finer particles. Circuit configurations including cleaner and scavenger stages, and pilot scale tests, will be required prior to a possible industrial implementation of the separation.

Cationic flotation of scheelite from calcite using quaternary ammonium salts as collector: Adsorption behavior and mechanism

“…Quaternary ammonium salts have been used in flotation. Rodrigues (2013) achieved separation of kaolinite from hematite using dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide as the collector in the pH range 4-10. Wang and Ren (2005) used a combination of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and dodecylamine chloride as the collector and quebracho as a depressant to separate quartz from iron minerals.…”

Flotation of kaolinite from tailings of kaolin-washing plants by cationic collectors

“…Previous studies showed, dodecylamine (DDA) was the effective collector for flotation of both kaolinite and quartz [10]. In this part, flotation of kaolinite by DDA in the presence of aluminum chloride as quartz depressant was evaluated.…”

“…However, the time required for kaolinite flotation was 5-10 times longer that for the quartz flotation, depending on the type of collector [10].…”

“…The results of these studies showed that kaolinite flotation by cationic collectors was better under acidic conditions than in alkaline media [7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. Yuehua et al (2004) tried to increase kaolinite recovery in alkaline medium by using a macromolecule as a flocculant.…”

Discovery of a Novel Cationic Surfactant: Tributyltetradecyl-Phosphonium Chloride for Iron Ore Flotation: From Prediction to Experimental Verification

“…In the field of mineral processing, there are also intense investigations on flotation of quartz from iron ore using quaternary ammonium salts collectors [26]. However, there are almost no reports about the applications of quaternary phosphonium salts as collectors in iron ore beneficiation, and some attempts have been made in our previous work [27].…”