Enhancing the floatability of smithsonite mixed with silicate minerals by using a novel dispersant of cetylpyridinium bromide

Abstract

Silicate minerals often coexist in nonferrous metal ores. In the flotation process, the fine clay particles are easy to slime-coating on the target mineral surface and lead to the deterioration of the flotation efficiency. In this study, the flotation behaviors of single smithsonite and its mixture with fine kaolin or chlorite were studied using octadecvlamine acetate (OCTA) as the collector. It was found that the single mineral of smithsonite had a high flotation recovery, while the mixed minerals of smithsonite with kaolin or chlorite possessed a poor processability. To eliminate the adverse effect of kaolin and chlorite on the floatability of smithsonite, a cetylpyridinium bromide (CPB) was introduced in the flotation process as a novel dispersant. The micro-flotation results showed that the addition of CPB greatly improved the separation efficiency of smithsonite from the mixed ores. It was believed that the adsorption of CPB on the surface of kaolin and chlorite eliminated the hydrophobic attractive force between the smithsonite and clay particles and thus prevented the slime-coating of kaolin and chlorite on the smithsonite surface. As a result, the floatability of smithsonite mixed with kaolin or chlorite was greatly enhanced. This work deepens our understanding of the flotation process of nonferrous metal ores mixed with fine clay minerals, and provides a novel dispersant of CPB which is expected to be applied in the flotation separation of mixed ores.