Abstract
Efficiently discovering the interaction of the collector oleate and siderite is of great significance for understanding the inherent function of siderite weakening hematite reverse flotation. For this purpose, investigation of the adsorption behavior of oleate on siderite surface was performed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations associating with atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging. The siderite crystal geometry was computationally optimized via convergence tests. Calculated results of the interaction energy and the Mulliken population verified that the collector oleate adsorbed on siderite surface and the covalent bond was established as a result of electrons transferring from O1 atoms (in oleate molecule) to Fe1 atoms (in siderite lattice). Therefore, valence-electrons’ configurations of Fe1 and O1 changed into 3d6.514s0.37 and 2s1.832p4.73 from 3d6.214s0.31 and 2s1.83p4.88 correspondingly. Siderite surfaces with or without oleate functioned were examined with the aid of AFM imaging in PeakForce Tapping mode, and the functioned siderite surface was found to be covered by vesicular membrane matters with the average roughness of 16.4 nm assuring the oleate adsorption. These results contributed to comprehending the interaction of oleate and siderite.
Highlights
It is well established that flotation is a surface-chemistry based process taking advantage of the differences in wettability on mineral particle surfaces [1]
From the view of mineral processing, few published literature was related to the interaction of siderite surface and collector such as oleate at the molecular scale. This present study offered an insight into the adsorption of oleate on siderite surface at the molecular level by Density Functional Theory (DFT) accompanied with Atomic Force
density functional theory (DFT) calculations coupled with atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging of PeakForce Tapping mode were undertaken to study the interaction between oleate and siderite surface
Summary
It is well established that flotation is a surface-chemistry based process taking advantage of the differences in wettability on mineral particle surfaces [1]. Our previous studies have indicated that the increase of siderite percentage resulted in the decrease of iron (Fe) grade of non-floated concentrate and even led to an unclear separation between the concentrate and the tailing. It has been revealed by the results of micro-flotation tests along with the analysis of flotation products’ surfaces characterizing by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS), that the interaction of the collector and quartz was partially obstructed by siderite [8]
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