Flotation chemistry of scheelite and its practice: A comprehensive review

Abstract

Scheelite has emerged as the primary source of global tungsten resources. The flotation separation of scheelite, which is hindered by its interface similarity with calcium-containing minerals, remains a worldwide challenge. Achieving precise regulation of interfacial physicochemical properties constitutes the scientific foundation for successful scheelite flotation. In this paper, the progress and prospects of scheelite flotation chemistry and its practice are summarized, encompassing various fields — such as crystal chemistry, solution chemistry, interface chemistry, and coordination chemistry — and providing guidance for the development of new scheelite flotation reagents and processes. The evolution of the scheelite flotation process has been predicated on the advancement of flotation reagents, which has resulted in the creation of the fatty acid flotation process, chelating collector flotation process, and metal–organic complex flotation process, all of which are integral to the three primary scheelite flotation processes. Moving forward, the development and implementation of highly selective complexes collector will be a crucial avenue to facilitate the environmentally-friendly and effective progression of the flotation process.