What are the commonly used reagents for iron ore flotation?

Iron ore is the main raw material for the pillar industries of the national economy and the main resource for the development of the national economy. Although there are many kinds of iron ore in my country, there are phenomena such as low grade, complex composition, fine particle size and uneven distribution. Only flotation is a proven method for processing this type of (fine and fine-grained) iron ore.

In flotation operations, the choice of reagents is very important, and whether a satisfactory flotation index can be obtained depends largely on the correct selection of reagents. The following introduces the commonly used reagents for iron ore flotation.

At present, iron ore is mainly divided into collectors, dispersants, flocculants, activators and inhibitors.

1. Collector

The collector is to change the hydrophobicity of the surface of the mineral, so that the mineral to be floated is attached to the surface of the air bubble and floated up, so as to achieve the purpose of mineral separation. Iron ore collectors can be divided into cationic collectors and anionic collectors.

Cationic collector: It is a widely used method for iron ore reverse flotation, mainly used for flotation of gangue minerals. The collectors are mostly amines, such as dodecylamine, ether amine, CS series, GE series, etc.

Anion collector: mainly used for flotation of iron minerals in the process of iron ore positive flotation. The collectors are mostly fatty acids, such as caproic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, etc.

2. Dispersant

The main function of the dispersant is to prevent the agglomeration of mineral particles and reduce the interaction between different minerals, thereby improving the flotation index. It is most suitable for the flotation of some complex refractory iron ores. Commonly used dispersants for iron ore are NM-3, sodium silicate, etc.

3. Flocculants

The flocculant flocculates fine mineral particles into agglomerates through bridging to improve their settling effect. When the particle size of the embedded iron ore is relatively fine, the sorting operation can only be realized after fine grinding. Flocculant flotation is commonly used for lean oil separation that deals with fine particles. The flocculants commonly used in iron ore mainly include starch, polyacrylamide and humate.

4. Activator

The activator is activated by adsorbing and covering the mineral surface, thereby enhancing the adsorption of the collector on the mineral surface and facilitating the function of the collector. When using anion collectors to reverse flotation iron ore, it is difficult to use sulfonic acid and fatty acid for flotation. And metal ions such as Ca2, Mg2, Pb2, etc., can be activated by adsorption collectors after being adsorbed on the surface of the seasoning, and can be easily collected. Activators are common in pyrite flotation. Commonly used activators for iron ore include ethylenediamine phosphate, propylenediamine phosphate, xylene, sodium fluorosilicate, ferrous sulfate, ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, ammonium hydroxide, etc.

5. Inhibitors

Inhibitors can improve the wettability of certain minerals, making them in good contact with aqueous solution, thereby reducing the probability of contact with air bubbles during mineral flotation. The use of cationic collectors, starch, amylose, amylopectin, maltose and glucose as inhibitors can inhibit the flotation response of hematite.