The Mechanism And Surface Chemical Analysis Of New Collector Act With Spodumene

With the rapid development of mobile power industry, demand of lithium resources growing with each passing day. As the major resource of lithium ore, how to efficiently exploit and utilize spodumene remains as an urgent problem to be settled. However, with the wide spread of non desliming technology in alkaline environment, flotation process of spodumene has been greatly simplified and is continuing to mature. Besides, pulp can be regulated and gangue be inhibited with the addition of regulators as Na2CO3、NaOH、Na2S. So exploring more effective and environment friendly collectors which can improve the spodumene flotation result maybe an effective means.This article based on National Key Technology Support Program. Application of new collectors in spodumene flotation and the corresponding mechanisms were researched, and reasons for such collecting ability differences were explored though surface chemical analyses.Pure mineral flotation test result shows that separation performance of twelve alkyl succinic amide(HZ) is higher than sodium oleate, and sodium oleate acts as equal as fatty acid methyl ester sulfoate(MES). HZ acts better in low-acid condition, sodium oleate in low-alkaline pulp, and MES acts well in wide pH range. Ca2+, Fe3+can be activators in spodumene flotation with collector of sodium oleate, but depressants for that of HZ and MES. The combined collectors such as sodium oleate:HZ=5:1are more efficient than other collectors such as sodium oleate, HZ, MES and combined collectors of sodium oleate:MES=5:1. Closed circuit test of the real ore containing1.4%Li shows that using the combined collector of sodium oleate:HZ=2:1, concentrate with the grade of5.60%and the recovery of81.80%can be obtained.IRA and zeta potential analyses suggests that each collector can adsorb on the surface of spodumene.sodium oleate can chemically adsorb on the surface of spodumene, but physically adsorption for HZ and MES. Collector analysis show that strength of foaming characteristic is MES> sodium oleate>HZ, CMC value is MES<sodium oleate<HZ and HLB value is MES> sodium oleate> HZ. Apparently, strong foamability is bad for the collecting selectivity which can explain why HZ has the weakest foaming characteristics but have the best flotation result. Adsorption calculation show that under the optimum flotation concentration, adsorption quantity of collectors on the gas-liquid interface is ГHz>Гoleate>ГMEs. According to the absorption and migration hypothesis, adsorption of surfactants on the gas and liquid interface positively related to its migration to liquid and solid which suggests that HZ adsorbs more on the surface of spodumene and has better flotation ability.