Abstract
In this work, tributyltetradecyl-phosphonium chloride (TTPC), has been first introduced to be a novel and efficient cationic surfactant for cationic reverse flotation separation of quartz from magnetite. The first-principles density functional theory calculations, Zeta potential measurements and adsorption isotherm measurements consistently predict that TTPC may be a promising collector that is better than dodecyl triethyl ammonium chloride (DTAC), based on the facts that TTPC and DTAC both prefer to physically adsorb on the quartz surface owing to electrostatic force, but the active part (P+(C4H9)3) of TTPC takes much more positive charges than that (N+(CH3)3) of DTAC. The micro-flotation and Bench-scale flotation results further verify that TTPC presents a stronger collecting power and much better selectivity for iron ore reverse flotation in comparison to the conventional collector DTAC. Furthermore, the corresponding adsorption mechanism of TTPC on the quartz have also been investigated in detail. This work might show a good example to discover a potential candidate collector by analogy with a known excellent collector based on reasonable prediction.
Highlights
Flotation is the most effective and economical technology to further upgrade iron concentrates [1].Intensive investigations on iron ore flotation began in America in the 1930s
To compare TTP+ with DTA+ at atomic and molecular level, the density functional theory calculations were performed to obtain some useful parameters
highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) determines the spatial distribution of valence electron participating in the formation of chemical bonds, and LUMO is well correlated with the capacity of a mainly participating in the formation of chemical bonds, and LUMO is well correlated with the molecule to accept electrons
Summary
Flotation is the most effective and economical technology to further upgrade iron concentrates [1].Intensive investigations on iron ore flotation began in America in the 1930s. There are five major types of flotation routes for iron ore, which have been developed to remove silica from iron minerals, including cationic flotation of iron oxide, cationic reverse flotation of quartz, anionic flotation of iron oxide, anionic reverse flotation of quartz, and their combination [2]. There are only very few types of cationic collectors (quaternary ammonium salt and their derivatives, with N atoms as the activation center) that can be used to float out silicate gangues in iron ore flotation [8,9,10]. This severely limits the development of cationic flotation technology used in iron ore beneficiation. The general method to improve flotation efficiency is to add huge amounts of depressants with various amines collectors in iron ore flotation [11,12,13,14,15]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
