Iron removal process of potassium feldspar

Potassium feldspar is an important industrial ore, widely used in ceramics, glass, building materials, chemical industry, electronics, metallurgy and other industries. The development and utilization of potassium feldspar resources is of great significance to the development of the national economy. In potassium, iron removal is a necessary part, and the existence of iron impurities will seriously affect the quality of potassium feldspar concentrate.

The iron removal process in the beneficiation process of potassium feldspar usually includes the following steps:

1. Crushing and grinding: the potassium feldspar ore is sent to the crusher to be crushed into small particles and ground into fine powder. This step is designed to increase the surface area of the ore for efficient iron removal in subsequent processing stages.

2. Magnetic separation: Magnetic separation is often used to remove iron-containing minerals from potassium feldspar ore. In this process, finely ground ore is passed through, using magnetism to separate magnetic minerals, including iron-bearing minerals, from the non-magnetic fraction. The magnetic separation process helps to remove iron impurities and improve the quality of the final potassium feldspar concentrate.

3. Froth flotation: Froth flotation is one of the commonly used iron removal methods in potassium feldspar beneficiation. In this process, frothers, specific collectors and conditioners are added to the finely ground pulp. The foaming agent forms foam on the surface of the slurry, while the collecting agent selectively attaches to the iron-bearing minerals, making them hydrophobic and floating to the liquid surface. The froth of iron-bearing minerals is then removed, leaving a pure concentrate of potassium feldspar.

4. Gravity separation: When the density of iron-bearing minerals is higher than that of potassium feldspar, gravity separation technology can be used to remove iron. In gravity sorting, ore is scoured by water currents, causing denser iron-bearing minerals to settle at the bottom, while lighter-density potassium feldspar particles float to the top. This allows iron impurities to be separated from the potassium feldspar concentrate.

5. Dehydration and drying: After the iron removal process, the potassium feldspar concentrate is dehydrated to remove excess water, and then dried to reach the specified moisture content. Dehydration and drying help to obtain the final product with the desired moisture content and suitable for subsequent handling or transportation.