The effect of organic solvents on the recovery of fine mineral particles by liquid-liquid extraction

Abstract

This paper deals with a study of the cooperative effect of organic solvents in recovering fine mineral particles by liquid-liquid extraction. With dodecylamine acetate as a collector, iso-octane as the main oil phase and n-butanol and methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) as sub-oil phases, the cooperative effect between polar neutral organic molecules and non-polar hydrocarbon oil droplets on the extraction of fine quartz from the aqueous phase into the oil phase was estimated by measuring the oil/water interfacial tensions and contact angles of oil droplets on a quartz surface in water. From the results obtained, it was found that the neutral organic molecules made the extraction of fine quartz particles more efficient, i.e., increasing the recovery of quartz in the oil phase and reducing the collector addition. It is surmised that coadsorption of the neutral organic molecules with collector ions plays the most important role.