Ilmenite Surface Research Articles

Study on surface magnetization recover ilmenite from titanaugite using surfactant sodium oleate

ABSTRACT Separation of ilmenite from titanaugite was investigated by magnetic coating. By enlarging magnetic difference between ilmenite and titanaugite, ilmenite was efficiently recovered. Scanning electron microscope and vibrating sample magnetometer results indicated that magnetite selectively coated onto ilmenite surface and increased its magnetism, which resulted in different magnetic separation behavior between ilmenite and titanaugite. FTIR and contact angle measurements confirmed that the adsorption difference of sodium oleate resulted in a stronger hydrophobicity on magnetite and ilmenite than titanaugite. Interaction energy analysis illustrated that hydrophobic association interaction on ilmenite was stronger than that on titanaugite, and which led to the selective coating of magnetite onto ilmenite.

Reagent adsorption on modified mineral surfaces: isotherm, kinetic and thermodynamic aspects

This study has been designed to investigate the effect of surface dissolution on the isotherm, kinetics, and thermodynamics of collector adsorption on the surface of ilmenite (IL) and its accompanied gangue minerals including olivine (Ol), pyroxene (Px), tremolite (Tr), and clinochlore (Cch). For this purpose, some laboratory techniques such as flotation experiments, adsorption tests, ICP-Mass analysis, UV–Visible spectroscopy, BET analysis, and scanning electron microscopy were employed. The flotation experiments showed that after surface dissolution, the selectivity of ilmenite flotation is improved by increasing its flotation recovery and by the decrease of gangue minerals floatabilities. As revealed by adsorption tests, this can be attributed to the more adsorption density of collector on the surface of treated ilmenite and its reduction on the modified surface of olivine-pyroxene (Ol-Px) and tremolite-clinochlore (Tr-Cch) having less surface active cations (Fe2+, Ca2+, and Mg2+) after surface modification by oxalic acid. Also, the equilibrium data analysis indicated that the Langmuir model is the most appropriate model to describe the adsorption of sodium oleate as a collector on the surface of studied minerals. The kinetics studies showed that unlike the gangue minerals, the adsorption kinetics of collector on the surface of modified ilmenite is significantly enhanced. According to the thermodynamic parameters, positive Enthalpy (ΔH), negative Gibbs free energy (ΔG), and positive Entropy (ΔS) were found for the collector adsorption process before and after treatment, showing the endothermic, spontaneous and more favorable nature of adsorption reaction at high temperatures. Also, the surface dissolution changes the ΔG and ΔS of ilmenite into the more negative and positive values, respectively, while it changes these thermodynamic parameters inversely for both gangue phase samples.

Influence of ultrasound pre-treatment on ilmenite surface chemical properties and collectors' adsorption behaviour.

In this study, we used flotation tests, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), zeta potential, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and microcalorimetry measurements to investigate the flotation and possible adsorption mechanisms of the ilmenite surface before and after ultrasonic pre-treatment. Flotation results show that under optimum conditions, the promotion effect of sonication on ilmenite is remarkable. The maximum recovery is 89.54% for ultrasonicated ilmenite at a pH of 4-5. For pH of 8-9, recovery increased again to 66.34%. Microcalorimetry indicates that the adsorption-driven heat release (-Qads) is higher for ultrasonicated ilmenite than for raw one. After pre-treatment, the iso-electric point (IEP) changed from pH 6.2 to pH 4.2. FTIR spectra and zeta potential measurements indicated that metal ions as active sites on the ilmenite surface are probably changed by the ultrasonic treatment. XPS analysis shows that ultrasonic treatment can promotes the oxidation of Fe2+ to Fe3+ and improves the solubilization of Ca2+ and Mg2+ in the pH range of 4-5. Under weakly alkaline condition, ultrasound also can make Ca2+ and Mg2+ re-absorb onto the ilmenite surface as main active sites.

Hydroxylamine promoted Fe(III)/Fe(II) cycle on ilmenite surface to enhance persulfate catalytic activation and aqueous pharmaceutical ibuprofen degradation

This study demonstrates a new system for the degradation of emerging pharmaceutical contaminants (e.g., ibuprofen) in water by coupling the naturally occurring ilmenite with hydroxylamine (HA) and persulfate (PS). Ilmenite was able to activate persulfate to generate sulfate radicals (SO4−·) and hydroxyl radicals (HO·). The radical generation was greatly improved by adding small amount of hydroxylamine into the solution, due to the efficient Fe(III)/Fe(II) cycle on the ilmenite surface promoted by HA, which was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy analysis. SO4−· and HO· contributed comparably to ibuprofen degradation, which was verified by the radical scavenging tests. The degradation was enhanced with increasing ilmenite, PS and HA dosages, but the HA exhibited strong scavenging effect at its high concentrations. The ilmenite/PS/HA process worked well in the real treated wastewater, because the surface-controlled radical generation was less affected by the water matrix. However, the formation of bromate in the bromide-containing water by this process should be concerned. Ibuprofen was partially mineralized, and the degradation products were identified by ESI-tqMS. A radical-induced degradation pathway was proposed based on the product identification. This work provides the mechanistic insights on persulfate activation based on the surface-controlled catalytic processes. It also offers a new strategy to degrade emerging contaminants in water and sheds light on the environmental functions of natural minerals.

Effects of ultrasonic pre-treatment on the flotation of ilmenite and collector adsorption

Herein we investigate the flotation and possible adsorption mechanism on the surface of ilmenite and the changes in the surface composition of ilmenite before and after ultrasonic pre-treatment through flotation tests, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, zeta potential measurement, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and microcalorimetry. The flotation results reveal that, under optimum conditions, sonication has a remarkable effect on the flotation of ilmenite. The maximum flotation recoveries of raw and ultrasonically treated ilmenite in the pH range 4–5 are 43.17 and 89.54%, respectively. The zeta potential of the pre-treated ilmenite shifted toward negative values, thus shifting the iso-electric point from pH 6.2 to pH ∼4.2. The FTIR spectra and zeta potential values indicate that the ultrasonic pre-treatment helped enhance the chemical adsorption of oleate ions on the surface of ilmenite. The results of microcalorimetry analysis suggest that the adsorption heat released (−Qads) from ultrasonically treated ilmenite is more than that released from raw ilmenite. The XPS analysis confirmed that the relative content of Fe3+ increased from 36.87 to 61.84% following the ultrasonic pre-treatment for 5 min in the pH range 4–5. After the treatment, Fe2+ ions on the ilmenite surface are abundantly oxidised to Fe3+ ions. The significant conversion of Fe2+ to Fe3+ helped improve the flotation recovery of ilmenite over a wide pH range.

Effect of surface dissolution by oxalic acid on flotation behavior of minerals

The surface dissolution pretreatment using oxalic acid as an organic agent was applied for modifying the surface properties of minerals and improving the selectivity of ilmenite flotation from its usual accompanied gangue minerals such as olivine, pyroxene, tremolite and clinochlore. The effect of this pretreatment method was investigated by various techniques including flotation experiments, ICP mass analysis, UV-visible spectroscopy, FTIR analysis and zeta potential measurements. The single mineral flotation tests show that after surface dissolution the maximum flotation recovery of ilmenite occurring at a pH of 6.3 is improved from 73% to 93.4%%, while at this condition the floatability of olivine-pyroxene and tremolite-clinochlore is decreased from 59.6% to 31.5% and 20.1% to 15.4%, respectively. Also, the cell flotation experiments indicate the increase of separation efficiency and selectivity index of ilmenite flotation from 8.37% to 42.04% and 1.18 to 2.6, respectively through the surface pretreatment process. The improvement of flotation selectivity can be due to the more significant removal of active cations from the surface of gangue minerals in comparison with ilmenite which has been shown by ICP mass analysis. By decreasing the surface active sites, as evidenced by UV-visible spectroscopy and FTIR analysis, the collector adsorption density on the surface of gangue phases is considerably reduced. This is also confirmed by zeta potential measurements showing the diminution of negative charge on the surface of pretreated gangue minerals conditioned with sodium oleate collector. The enhancement of collector adsorption on the surface of ilmenite and consequently the improvement of its floatability can be due to oxidation of some Fe2+ ions to Fe3+ ones through the surface dissolution process. Generally, the surface dissolution pretreatment by oxalic acid can easily and effectively improve the selective flotation of ilmenite from iron containing gangue minerals. This organic reagent also assists to this improvement by depressing the gangue minerals when it is used as a pH adjuster agent.

Surface modification of ilmenite by a novel surfactant dodecyliminodimethylenediphosphoinc acid and its sequent influence on ilmenite floatability

ABSTRACTIn the study, a novel compound of dodecyliminodimethylenediphosphoinc acid was synthesized, and its adsorption mechanism onto ilmenite surface was investigated by zeta potential, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscop (XPS) measurements. The zeta potential measurement results indicated that dodecyliminodimethylenediphosphoinc acid (DDDA) could adsorb onto ilmenite surface, and the optimum pH range for adsorption was 4–8 (similar to the flotation behavior). The FTIR analyses further confirmed that DDDA chemisorbed onto ilmenite surface and formed metal–DDDA complex, rendering the hydrophobic media for flotation. The XPS results provided strong evidences that DDDA species chemisorbed onto ilmenite surface and reacted with Fe ions rather than Ti ions.

Comparative studies of flotation and adsorption of Pb(II)/benzohydroxamic acid collector complexes on ilmenite and titanaugite

In this study, the flotation and adsorption of Pb(II)/benzohydroxamic acid (BHA) complexes on the surfaces of ilmenite and titanaugite were compared to achieve their separation flotation. Single and synthetic mixed mineral flotation tests, zeta potential measurements, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, as well as microcalorimetry analyses were carried out. The results of the flotation tests indicated that the separation of the minerals is feasible by using complexes with the molar ratio of Pb(II):BHA = 1:3 at pH = 6.0. Moreover, the Pb/BHA complexes exhibited better performance than sequentially added Pb(II) and BHA species. The zeta potentials indicated that Pb/BHA complexes might selectively adsorb on the surface of ilmenite in the mixed system. The FTIR results demonstrated that the Pb/BHA complexes exhibited higher adsorption capacity on the surface of ilmenite than by sequential dosing of Pb(II) and BHA. In contrast, on the titanaugite surface the adsorption ability of Pb/BHA complexes was similar to that of BHA, indicating that titanaugite could not be activated by Pb(II) ions. The microcalorimetric results revealed that the adsorption heats on the surfaces of ilmenite and titanaugite were ranked as Pb/BHA > BHA > Pb(II) ions, indicating that Pb/BHA complexes interacted most strongly with the two mineral surfaces, and chemisorption occurred on both surfaces by using BHA and Pb/BHA collectors. Thermodynamic analysis revealed that complexes with BHA are easier to generate when using Pb(II) than Ca2+ and Fe2+ ions, and the Pb/BHA complexes preferred to adsorb on the active sites of ilmenite (e.g. Fe2+ or Fe3+) rather than titanaugite (e.g. Ca2+), indicating that selective separation is feasible.

Oxygen transport capacity and kinetic study of ilmenite ores for methane chemical-looping combustion

Reactivity and oxygen-transport capacity of Canadian and commercial ilmenite ores in the chemical-looping combustion of methane were investigated in a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). Oxygen carrier performance was evaluated over multiple cycles during which Canadian ilmenite oxygen transport capacity increased from 2.7% to 14.2% and the commercial sample maintained an approximately constant oxygen transport capacity at 4.5%. XRD and SEM results indicate that new phases were formed, and surface morphology was transformed significantly during cyclic operations. Studies on carbon deposition on the ilmenite surface indicate that lower methane partial pressure and reduction temperatures are favorable to effectively prevent this phenomenon. The kinetic grain model (GM) was found satisfactorily to fit reduction rate data obtained at atmospheric pressure. Intrinsic reaction rates and kinetic parameters were assessed, accordingly. Activation energy were estimated 106.7 ± 10.6 kJ/mol and 95.0 ± 8.5 kJ/mol for the Canadian and commercial samples, respectively.

Effect of sodium silicate on the magnetic separation of ilmenite from titanaugite by magnetite selective coating

Surface magnetization provides a possible approach for recovering weak or non-magnetic minerals via magnetic separation. In the present study, magnetite selective coating was used to enlarge the magnetic difference between ilmenite and titanaugite and further separate them. During this process, the selective coating behavior of magnetite was investigated with sodium silicate depressant and sodium oleate surfactant on mineral surfaces. The SEM analysis and magnetic separation results revealed that magnetite displayed a selective coating behavior on the surface of ilmenite and titanaugite, resulting in a large recovery difference by approximately 53% between them. The results of zeta potential and adsorption measurements indicated that sodium silicate preferred to adsorb onto titanaugite surfaces and prevented sodium oleate adsorption but not on ilmenite. Contact angle analysis suggested that the selective adsorption of reagents led to the hydrophobic difference of minerals. EDLVO calculation results illustrated that hydrophobic attraction dominated the selective adhering behavior of magnetite on ilmenite and titanaugite. After magnetite coating, the magnetic separation recovery and TiO2 grade of artificial mixtures were increased by approximately 26.33% and 4.7%, respectively.

Comparative study on adsorption and depressant effects of carboxymethyl cellulose and sodium silicate in flotation

Depressant effects of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and sodium silicate on flotation of ilmenite and forsterite using sodium oleate (NaOL) as a collector were investigated by single mineral flotation, zeta-potential, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and artificially mixed minerals flotation experiments. Single mineral flotation tests indicated that there was significant depressant effect for ilmenite and forsterite in the presence of CMC or sodium silicate, and the selective depressant using sodium silicate was more effective. FT-IR and XPS analysis suggested that CMC and sodium silicate were hardly interacted on the ilmenite surface. For forsterite, CMC adsorbed by hydrogen bonding and weakly chemical adsorption; however, sodium silicate chemically reacted with Mg on the forsterite surface, and made them hydrophilic. The depressant effect of forsterite could be attributed to that CMC and sodium silicate adsorbed on the forsterite surface, which inhibited the approach and adsorption of NaOL to the forsterite surface.

Adsorption of Pb(II)/benzohydroxamic acid collector complexes for ilmenite flotation

In this work, the flotation performance of separately added Pb2+ ions and benzohydroxamic acid (BHA) was compared with that of Pb2+/BHA (Pb-BHA) complexes, and the possible adsorption mechanism on the ilmenite surface was investigated by conducting single-mineral flotation tests as well as zeta potential, ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy, microcalorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses. The results of mineral flotation testing revealed that Pb-BHA complexes exhibited better flotation characteristics as compared to those of their sequentially dosed components, while the collection properties of these complexes depended on their compositions. Thus, the complexes with Pb2+/BHA molar ratios equal to 1:2 and 1:1 exhibited much higher ilmenite collection efficiencies and wider effective pH ranges than those of the complexes with Pb2+/BHA ratios of 2:1 and 3:1. Furthermore, the obtained zeta potentials indicated that the resultant Pb-BHA complexes with a Pb2+/BHA molar ratio of 1:1 were slightly positively charged. After increasing its magnitude, the zeta potential of ilmenite shifted toward positive values. Large amounts of Pb2+ ions in solution were possibly adsorbed on the surface of ilmenite, which suppressed the adsorption of Pb-BHA species. The obtained UV spectra showed that varying the Pb2+/BHA ratio strongly affected the compositions of the produced complexes. The results of microcalorimetry analysis indicated that the adsorption heats (−ΔadsH) of the utilised reagents could be ranked in the order of Pb2+ < BHA < Pb-BHA, suggesting that Pb-BHA species exhibited the highest affinities to the ilmenite surface. Finally, the obtained FTIR and XPS spectra revealed that Pb-BHA complexes were adsorbed on the ilmenite surface more strongly than their individual components.

Study on the activation mechanism of lead ions in the flotation of ilmenite using benzyl hydroxamic acid as collector

The activation mechanism of Pb2+ ions to ilmenite and the subsequent interaction with benzyl hydroxamic acid (BHA) were systematically investigated. The Pb2+ ions modification occurred via a chemical adsorption process, in which lead species interacted with iron hydroxyl compounds to form lead-containing complexes on the ilmenite surface. After lead ions activation, the surface of ilmenite became more active, and iron species and lead-containing complexes served as the main active sites to covalently bond with BHA in the form of metal-BHA chelate complexes. As a result, the BHA adsorption increased, giving rise to a concomitant increase in the floatability of ilmenite.

Low-temperature performance of cationic collector undecyl propyl ether amine for ilmenite flotation

When conventional anionic collectors (e.g., fatty acids) are used in flotation separation of ilmenite and titanaugite, a high flotation temperature (>293K) is generally required. However, it is crucial to develop low-temperature flotation processes for use in cold regions. This study demonstrates that the cationic collector undecyl propyl ether amine (UPEA) has outstanding collecting ability, selectivity, and low-temperature performance for ilmenite ore flotation. Various important factors that influence flotation performance, such as pH, UPEA dosage, and pulp temperature, were investigated by microflotation tests. Compared with a higher temperature (295K), superior flotation recovery was obtained by closed-circuit flotation of actual ore at 279K. Zeta potential measurements illustrated that large amounts of UPEA were selectively adsorbed on the ilmenite surface. Thermodynamic calculations and Fourier transform infrared analyses showed that adsorption of UPEA onto both mineral surfaces involved a physisorption process. Moreover, increasing the thermodynamic energy of UPEA molecules diminished interactions between UPEA and the minerals, resulting in decreased adsorption of UPEA with increasing temperature, as confirmed by adsorption analysis. The excellent low-temperature flotation performance of UPEA is consistent with the energy conservation policy of China, and the use of UPEA should be promoted in cold regions. This work provides new insights into the efficient separation of ilmenite from titanaugite at low temperatures.

Effect of acid surface dissolution pretreatment on the selective flotation of ilmenite from olivine and pyroxene

The influence of acid surface dissolution as a pretreatment method on the improvement of ilmenite selective flotation from olivine-pyroxene was studied by carrying out the flotation experiments in micro and laboratory (flotation cell) scales. The microflotation experiments show that after surface dissolution, the flotation recovery of ilmenite improves from 73.5% to 92.1% at a pH of 6.3, while that of olivine-pyroxene decreases from 59.6% to 44.6%. The improvement of ilmenite floatability is in good accordance with the relative content of Fe3+ in ilmenite surface which increases from 48.5% to 59.8% after surface dissolution as evidenced by XPS analysis. This conversion increases the formation of an insoluble layer of ferric iron oleate, and enhances ilmenite hydrophobicity. FTIR spectra and zeta potential measurements indicated that the adsorption of oleate ions on the surface of olivine-pyroxene decreases significantly after surface dissolution. As evidenced by ICP analysis, this can be due to the dissolution of Fe cations as the active sites from the olivine-pyroxene surface. The cell flotation experiments show that before surface dissolution, an optimal concentrate with 21.2% TiO2 and 78.3% recovery is achieved using 1000g/t sodium oleate, 100g/t Pb(NO3)2 (activator) and 80g/t quebracho (depressant). After surface dissolution, the best concentrate containing 25.6% TiO2 and 80.6% recovery is obtained in the presence of 1000g/t collector and 100g/t activator without any depressant agent. As a general result, the acid surface dissolution pretreatment enhances the selectivity of ilmenite flotation and its separation efficiency.

UV-LED/ilmenite/persulfate for azo dye mineralization: The role of sulfate in the catalyst deactivation

This work investigates the effect of UV-LED on the persulfate (PS) activation with natural ilmenite (FeTiO3) in the oxidation of azo dye Disperse Blue 3 (DB3). The high induction period and the scarce ability of this mineral to activate PS can be overcome by using UV irradiation to increase the SO4− generation via photoreduction of Fe(III) to Fe(II) on the ilmenite surface, main responsible of SO4− formation in iron-based catalysis. The effect of several operating conditions such as persulfate dose (20–100% of the theoretical stoichiometric amount), reaction temperature (30–70°C) and mineral concentration 320mgL−1 has been studied. Under optimum conditions (320mgL−1of ilmenite, pH0: 3, using 100% of stoichiometric amount of PS at 70°C under UV-LED radiation) more than 95% TOC reduction and 92% PS decomposition were reached after 180min. The progressive deactivation of FeTiO3 through successive experiments can be explained, according to density functional theory (DFT) calculations, by the formation of a passivation layer due to adsorption of SO42− on the FeTiO3 surface.

Effect of Pb2+ ions on ilmenite flotation and adsorption of benzohydroxamic acid as a collector

The effects of Pb2+ ions on ilmenite flotation and adsorption of benzohydroxamic acid (BHA) as a collector were investigated using microflotation tests, zeta potential measurements, adsorption analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The microflotation results indicate that the addition of Pb2+ significantly improves the recovery of ilmenite using BHA as a collector. A maximum recovery of 88.46% is obtained at pH 8.12 in the presence of Pb2+; a maximum recovery of 45% is obtained at the same pH using BHA alone. At pHs below 8.0, lead nitrate are mainly present in the solution as Pb2+ and PbOH+, while at pHs above 8.0, the predominant components are Pb(OH)2(s) and Pb(OH)3−. The adsorption of these lead species influences the zeta potential of ilmenite and the number of activated sites on the ilmenite surface. FTIR and XPS analyses reveal that lead species and BHA react with the metal sites on the ilmenite surface. The lead species in solution are either adsorbed onto the ilmenite surface, which increases the surface activity of ilmenite, or react with BHA in solution to form complexes of lead and BHA.

Selective flotation separation of ilmenite from titanaugite using mixed anionic/cationic collectors

The flotation behavior of ilmenite and titanaugite using anionic collector sodium oleate (NaOL), cationic collector dodecylamine acetate (DAA) and the mixed anionic/cationic collector (NaOL-DAA) was investigated through micro-flotation experiments, zeta potential measurements, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analyses, and the artificially mixed minerals flotation experiments. The results of the microflotation experiments indicate that DAA exhibits good flotation performance to both ilmenite and titanaugite at a pH>6.0. The flotation separation of ilmenite from titanaugite can be performed using the mixed NaOL-DAA in a wide pH range of 5.0–7.0. In this pH range, the recovery of ilmenite remains constant at approximately 90%, while the recovery of titanaugite remains <25%. The best separation result can be achieved with NaOL-DAA molar ratios of 10:1. The results of the zeta potential experiments and the FTIR analyses indicate that the adsorption of the mixed collector, NaOL-DAA, on the ilmenite surface is larger than on the titanaugite surface and that the NaOL-DAA complex might be mainly adsorbed on the ilmenite surface by chemical adsorption, apart from electrostatic adsorption. The synthetic mineral mixture micro-flotation results demonstrate that, compared to NaOL, NaOL-DAA not only increases the recovery and grade of the TiO2 by 7.02% and 6.71%, respectively, but also decreases the reagent consumption by half.

Improvements in reaction kinetics and stability of ilmenite as oxygen carrier by surface modification with calcium titanate in redox cycles of chemical-looping systems

High reactivity and long-lifetime stability of the oxygen carriers in redox cycles are crucial in chemical-looping combustion systems. In this study, to improve the redox kinetics and prevent morphological changes during redox cycles, ilmenite was modified with a calcium additive to form iron-doped calcium titanate (CTFO), which is a mixed ionic and electronic conductor, on the ilmenite surface and interior. An ilmenite-core and CTFO-shell structure was formed and the structure changed depending on the calcination temperature. Use of the modified ilmenites improved the reduction kinetics in dry H2 and wet CH4 during redox cycles. Also, it was found that morphological changes of the modified ilmenites during redox cycles were prevented, although surface iron segregation and increased porosity were observed for neat ilmenite. The formation of a CTFO phase can induce rapid oxide ion transport at the ilmenite/CTFO interface and suppress the outward diffusion of iron cations. Prevention of morphological changes can increase the lifetimes of oxygen carriers in ilmenite. The present results provide strategies for developing oxygen carriers with high reactivities and stabilities.

The activation mechanism of lead ions in the flotation of ilmenite using sodium oleate as a collector

The flotation behaviors of ilmenite untreated or treated with lead ions using sodium oleate as a collector were studied. The results of micro-flotation experiments reveal that ilmenite shows good floatability at pH 6–8. Compared with the flotation recovery of ilmenite untreated with lead ions, ilmenite floatability can be enhanced, and the resulting increase in recovery can surpass 30% after the addition of lead ions. The results of zeta potential tests show that the isoelectric point of ilmenite can change from 5.2 (untreated) to 7.8 (treated), which is beneficial for the interaction between ilmenite and the collector and increases its floatability. Adsorption measurements show that the adsorption amounts of ilmenite treated with lead ions are higher than those of untreated ilmenite. XPS tests show that after activation with lead ions, the relative contents of iron and titanium on the ilmenite surface, which play leading roles in ilmenite flotation, increase by 5.9% and 4.6%, respectively. At the same time, changes in binding energy are more visible after ilmenite is pretreated with lead ions and subsequently treated with sodium oleate. Within the optimal flotation pH range, oleate species (RCOO−, (RCOO)22-, (RCOO)2H−) can mainly react with iron on the ilmenite surface through chemical adsorption in addition to electrostatic effects.