Barite beneficiation process and selection of flotation agents

      Barite, also known as baryte, is a naturally occurring mineral composed of barium sulfate (BaSO4). It is commonly used in the oil and gas industry as a weighting agent for drilling fluids, as well as in other industries such as paints, plastics, and rubber.

     The beneficiation process of barite mainly includes crushing, screening, washing, and flotation. The crushing stage usually uses jaw crushers and impact crushers. After crushing, the barite ore is screened and classified according to particle size. The coarse-grained materials are washed with water to remove impurities, and the fine-grained materials are subjected to flotation to obtain high-quality barite concentrate.

     The selection of flotation agents is crucial in the flotation process of barite. The commonly used flotation agents for barite are collectors such as fatty acids, sulfonates, and carboxylates, as well as modifiers such as inorganic and organic substances.

Collectors:

Fatty acids: The commonly used fatty acids are oleic acid, lauric acid, and palmitic acid. Oleic acid is the most widely used collector for barite flotation. However, the selectivity of oleic acid is poor, and it is easy to cause gangue mineral flotation.

Sulfonates: The commonly used sulfonates are petroleum sulfonate, alkyl sulfonate, and aryl sulfonate. They have good selectivity for barite and can effectively separate barite from gangue minerals.

Carboxylates: The commonly used carboxylates are sodium oleate, sodium lauryl sulfate, and sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate. They have good selectivity for barite, but the collecting power is weaker than that of fatty acids and sulfonates.

Modifiers:

Inorganic modifiers: The commonly used inorganic modifiers are sodium silicate and sodium carbonate. They can activate the barite and improve the selectivity of the collectors.

Organic modifiers: The commonly used organic modifiers are quebracho, tannin, and lignin sulfonate. They can also activate the barite and improve the selectivity of the collectors.

In addition, the pH value of the slurry also affects the flotation of barite. The suitable pH range for barite flotation is 8-9.

Overall, the selection of flotation agents for barite beneficiation should consider the type and content of impurities in the ore, the mineral processing capacity, and the economic benefits. It is necessary to constantly optimize the flotation process and improve the selectivity and recovery rate of barite concentrate.