Effect of Sodium Pyrophosphate on the Reverse Flotation of Dolomite from Apatite

Yanfei Chen,Qiming Feng,Dezhi Liu,Guofan Zhang,Runzhe Liu

doi:10.3390/min8070278

Abstract

In this study, the effect of sodium pyrophosphate (NaPP) on the separation of apatite from dolomite by flotation was systematically investigated. Flotation results revealed that NaPP could selectively depress the flotation of apatite, thus realizing the separation of apatite from dolomite. Further, the selective depression mechanism of NaPP was studied through zeta potential measurements, contact angle measurements, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The results demonstrated that the adsorption of sodium oleate (NaOL) onto apatite surface was depressed by the preferential interaction of NaPP with active Ca sites. For dolomite, while the presence of NaPP hindered the interaction of NaOL with active Ca sites, it appeared to enhance the reactivity with active Mg sites. Thus, the adsorption of NaOL onto dolomite surface was hardly influenced. In this way, the separation of apatite from dolomite was achieved.

Highlights

Phosphorous, as one of the most common elements on earth and essential elements in organisms, is widely used in the production of fertilizers, detergents, pharmaceuticals, fluxes, cement, and many other industrial processes [1,2,3,4,5]
Reverse flotation can be applied for phosphate ores that have high dolomite content [9,10,11,12]
The the flotation flotation recovery recovery of of dolomite dolomite was was higher higher than than that that of of apatite, apatite, which implied that NaOL had a better collecting collecting ability to to dolomite

Summary

Introduction

Phosphorous, as one of the most common elements on earth and essential elements in organisms, is widely used in the production of fertilizers, detergents, pharmaceuticals, fluxes, cement, and many other industrial processes [1,2,3,4,5]. Growing demands for phosphorous have motivated the development of new technologies to concentrate phosphates from low-grade ores [7]. Vast majority of these resources are complex low-grade ores [8,9]. In these ores, the main valuable mineral, apatite is usually associated with gangue minerals, such as dolomite. Dissolved components from apatite and dolomite will hydrolyze, precipitate, and adsorb onto the minerals [13,14,15]. All of these factors determine the interfacial properties of the minerals and make it more difficult to separate apatite from dolomite

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion