Influence of Sodium Phosphate Salts with Different Chain Length on the Flotation Behavior of Magnesite and Dolomite

Junzhi Bai,Xiangxiang Chen,Wanzhong Yin,Jizhen Wang

doi:10.3390/min10111031

Abstract

This paper analyzes the influence of sodium phosphate salts with different chain lengths as depressants on the flotation behavior of magnesite and dolomite through single mineral flotation test, contact angle test, and theoretical analysis. Flotation tests show that depressants should be added for the flotation separation of magnesite and dolomite. The inhibition of sodium phosphate salts on dolomite is significantly stronger than magnesite, and the flotation difference of minerals is affected by the chain length of phosphate depressants. The order of flotation separation enhancement of different sodium phosphate depressants is sodium hexametaphosphate ≈ sodium tetrapolyphosphate > sodium tripolyphosphate > sodium pyrophosphate. This result could also be supported by the contact angle measurement.

Highlights

Magnesite can be used to refine metallic magnesium, refractory materials, viscous materials, and magnesia chemical materials [1]
Using sodium oleate as aon collector, weand carried out the flotation test of magnesite and dolomite under different concentrations of collector
Using sodium phosphate depressants can realize the flotation separation of magnesite and dolomite, and the inhibition of dolomite was stronger than magnesite

Summary

Introduction

Magnesite can be used to refine metallic magnesium, refractory materials, viscous materials, and magnesia chemical materials [1]. In the system where magnesite and dolomite coexist, because dolomite dissolves in the solution to produce calcium ions and adsorbs on the surface of dolomite, the surface properties of the two minerals are similar, so flotation separation is difficult [5,6,7,8,9]. Sodium phosphate salts, which include sodium pyrophosphate, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium tetrapolyphosphate, and sodium hexametaphosphate, have been developed as modifying agents for flotation of different target minerals. These sodium phosphate salts with different chain lengths have different surface-active properties in aqueous solutions, which will affect the flotation separation of magnesite and dolomite [14]

Methods

Results

Conclusion