Study on synergistic inhibition and mechanism of flotation separation of fluorite and calcite by tannin and sodium humate

Abstract

At present, the separation technology of fluorite and calcite is still immature, and the research in this paper can promote the improvement of the separation technology of fluorite and calcite. The selective inhibition mechanism of tannin and humate sodium on calcite was studied by means of actual ore flotation test, single mineral flotation test, Zeta potential measurement and FT-IR spectroscopy. The results show that the mixture of tannin and sodium humate inhibitor has a good inhibitory effect on carbonate under weak alkaline condition. The reaction products of sodium humate, tannin and calcium ions in solution interact with organic compounds adsorbed on the surface of calcite, forming multilayer adsorption on the surface of calcite, making calcite more hydrophilic. Based on density functional theory, Materials Studio (MS) was used to calculate the relevant adsorption energy, and the result was as follows: (a) compared with fluorite, tannin and humate sodium molecules are more easily adsorbed on the surface of calcite. (b) Compared with calcite alone adsorption of tannin molecules or sodium humate molecules, the adsorption state will be more stable, and the effect of tannin and sodium humate synergistic inhibition of calcite is better than the effect of inhibition alone. Therefore, using tannin and sodium humate as a combination inhibitor can effectively separate fluorite and calcite, which will promote the development and utilization of fluorite ore in industry.