Fine separation of fluorite ore

Fluorite, as a strategic non-metallic mineral, is widely used in aviation, medicine, metallurgy and other fields. However, due to the limitations of ore properties, fluorite resources often face the problems of impoverishment, fine graining and complexity. It is difficult to obtain high-quality fluorite concentrate by single hand selection or reselection methods.

Fluorite often coexists with calcium-containing minerals, silicate minerals and metal sulfide minerals. According to the characteristics of the surrounding rock, fluorite deposits can be divided into single type and associated type, and the flotation process of different types of fluorite ores is also different.

For quartz fluorite ore, coarse-grained impregnated ore is easier to select, and high-quality concentrate can be obtained through the flotation process of one coarse and multiple fines. Fine-grained ore needs to increase the grinding intensity, improve the monomer dissociation degree, and adopt the process of "one grinding, one coarse, coarse concentrate re-grinding, multiple fines". Under the condition of pH 8-9, oleic acid or sodium oleate is used as a collector, supplemented with sodium sulfide and sodium silicate, which can effectively inhibit quartz and obtain high-quality fluorite concentrate with a CaF2 grade of more than 96%.

The flotation challenge of calcite-type fluorite ore is that the physical and chemical properties of fluorite and calcite are similar, resulting in poor selectivity. In production, mixed flotation is carried out first, and then fluorite and calcite are separated. Adding a dispersant at around 12°C can obtain a high-grade fluorite concentrate. To enhance the inhibitory effect, calcium inhibitors can be added in the form of combined reagents at 50-60°C.

The flotation process of polymetallic associated fluorite ore is similar to the above. Usually, xanthate is used as a collector to preferentially float out sulfide ores, and then fatty acid reagents are used to repeatedly select and float out fluorite. During the flotation process, the appropriate addition of inhibitors such as cyanide can effectively inhibit residual sulfides and ensure the quality of fluorite concentrate.

In summary, the use of appropriate flotation technology and reagent system for different types of fluorite ores can effectively improve the quality and recovery rate of fluorite concentrate and achieve efficient utilization of fluorite resources.