Wolframite Chelate Type Flotation Flotation Performance Evaluation

Flotation has been widely applied in wolframite beneficiation practice, and it has graduallybeen a main recovery method of wolframite-slime. The research of wolframite collectors hasachieved process in wolframite flotation, especially chelating collectors have been paid more andmore attention in the application of wolframite flotation. This paper focused on the flotationperformance study on medialan (MDL), octyl hydroxyl oxime acide (OHA), benzo hydroxamicacide (BHA), salicy droxamic acide (SHA) and8-hydroxy quinoline by pure mineral tests ofwolframite, quartz, fluotite and calsite, and discussed the mechanism by infrared spectrum (IR),adsorption quantity, cantact angle, zeta potential analysis.The results of pure wolframite flotation tests show that MDL and OHAcollector have betterflotation performance on wolframite and the optimized pH value is7.0. wolframite flotability ispoor with BHA, SHA,8-hydroxy quinoline as collector. The recovery of wolframite is about90%when Pb(NO3)2as activator and the collector dosage up to500mg/L. the order of collectors onwolframite flotation performance from high to low is as follows: OHA, MDL,8-hydroxyquinoline, BHA, SHA.The results of four pure minerals flotation tests show that MDL has weak flotability onwolframite in wide pH value and could achieve effective separation between wolframite andquartz. However, the recovery of fluorite and calcite remained high at90%, but sodium silicatecould effectively depress fluorite, esperically when pH was7.0, the recovery reduced to only12%and had obvious flotibility defference compared with wolframite, and the recovery of calciteand wolframite defference was20%.OHAhas poor flotation performance on wolframite when pH value When pH under8.0, butimproved when pH higher than8.0, and shows better flotibility on fluorite and calcite. Selectingsodium silicate as depressor, the recovery of wolframite and fluorite has small defference and therecovery of wolframite is higher than that of calcite, it can result to difficult to separatewolframite and the two gangue minerals. The artificial mixed mineral tests confirmed MDL wasan effective collerctor for wolframite flotation.As was shown from the results of IR analysis and adsorption quanlity, the aboved fivecollertors had chemically adsorped on wolframite surface. The collector adsorption quanlity onthe wolframite surface has close relation with pulp Ph value, and its changing trend is consistentwith pure wolframite flotation tests rules. Adsorption quanlity increases with collector dosage.The results of contact angle mearsures show that surface contact angle is wider with MDL,OHAas wolframite collectors and up to the maximum angle under the condition of7.0pH value.While after adsorbing other three collectors, the contact angle is similar and generally lower. From the zeta potential measures results, the potential of wolframite surface dropped afteradsorbing MDL and OHA, and it explained again that there was chemical adsorption betweencollector and wolframite surface. Zeta potential shifted to more negative position when pulp pHvalue was7.0, which could be inferred more adsorption quanlity on wolframite surface,and itreconfirmed the pure wolframite flotation results.