A method of enhanced flotation of ilmenite

Abstract

The application discloses a method for reinforced flotation of ilmenite, which comprises the following steps: under the condition that the pH value of ilmenite slurry is 4-7, first adding 20-40 mg / L of short-chain fatty acid and 10-20 mg / L of chain phosphoric acid, then adding 10-20 mg / L of hydroxamic acid for aeration flotation after reaction. The short-chain fatty acid is selected to cause characteristic adsorption on the surface of ilmenite, highlight selectivity and weaken foaming property; the chain phosphoric acid has stronger foaming property than traditional phosphoric acid, makes up the foaming property loss caused by the reduction of the chain length of the fatty acid, and then the hydroxamic acid is selected to chelate and further enhance selectivity, so that the ilmenite is effectively floated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the flotation of metallic ores, and more particularly to an enhanced flotation method for ilmenite. Background Technology

[0002] Ilmenite, as a primary titanium source in practice, plays a crucial role in meeting the urgent needs of various titanium-related fields. The fundamental properties and mineralization mechanism of ilmenite jointly determine the final selection for ilmenite beneficiation. Over time, flotation has become an indispensable step in ilmenite refining. Currently, various collectors capable of flotating ilmenite within different pH ranges have been developed. Common collectors include fatty acids, hydroxamic acids, phosphonic acids, and benzylarsonic acids. Among them, fatty acid collectors have good selectivity but poor foaming properties; hydroxamic acid collectors have the advantage of high selectivity and can chelate with metal atoms on the ilmenite surface, often used as ilmenite collectors. However, to further increase the adsorption of hydroxamic acids on the ilmenite surface, lead nitrate is usually used to activate the ilmenite before adding the hydroxamic acid. However, lead nitrate is also a heavy metal ion, posing significant harm to the environment and the health of operators, thus failing to meet national environmental protection requirements; phosphonic acid collectors have foaming properties, but their selectivity is not outstanding. It is evident that the commonly used flotation of ilmenite using a single collector is unlikely to simultaneously possess the advantages of both strong collecting capacity and good selectivity. Moreover, the flotation of a single collector requires a large amount of material, is expensive, has high economic consumption, and the recovery index is not ideal. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the problem that it is difficult to achieve both strong collecting capacity and good selectivity when using a single collector for flotation, this invention provides an enhanced flotation method for ilmenite. This method uses a combination of multiple collectors, which has strong collecting capacity and good selectivity, thereby improving the efficiency of ilmenite flotation.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides an enhanced flotation method for ilmenite, which includes the following steps: under the condition that the pH value of the ilmenite slurry is 4-7, 20-40 mg / L of short-chain fatty acids and 10-20 mg / L of chain phosphate are added first, and after the reaction, 10-20 mg / L of hydroxamic acid is added for aeration flotation.

[0005] In the above technical solution, short-chain fatty acids are selected for specific adsorption on the surface of ilmenite. Longer carbon chains increase the spatial distance between molecules, leading to a weakening of intermolecular attraction. This weakened attraction makes the molecules more easily dispersed in the liquid, rather than forming a stable film structure. Therefore, longer carbon chains cannot effectively trap the target substance, reducing collection performance, highlighting selectivity, and weakening foaming properties. While chain-like phosphoric acid has stronger foaming properties than traditional phosphoric acid, longer carbon chains exhibit excellent foaming performance. Due to their larger molecular volume, longer carbon chains can form more stable bubbles in the liquid and reduce bubble merging and collapse. Therefore, longer carbon chains can significantly improve foaming performance. Compensating for the foaming property loss due to the reduced chain length of fatty acids, further enhancing selectivity through hydroxamic acid chelation, thus enabling effective flotation of ilmenite.

[0006] Preferably, the amount of the short-chain fatty acid is 25-35 mg / L, the amount of the chain phosphate is 12-18 mg / L, and the amount of the hydroxamic acid is 12-18 mg / L.

[0007] Preferably, the reaction is stirred for 2-3 minutes after adding the short-chain fatty acid and the chain phosphoric acid.

[0008] Preferably, after adding the hydroxamic acid, aeration is performed for 1-2 minutes, followed by flotation for 2-3 minutes.

[0009] Preferably, the solid content of the ilmenite slurry is 30-40%.

[0010] Preferably, the particle size of the ilmenite slurry is 200-400 mesh.

[0011] Through the above technical solution, the present invention achieves the following beneficial effects:

[0012] This invention selects short-chain fatty acids for specific adsorption on the surface of ilmenite, highlighting selectivity and weakening foaming properties; chain phosphate has stronger foaming properties than traditional phosphate, compensating for the foaming properties caused by fatty acids reducing chain length loss; and further selectivity is enhanced by chelation with hydroxamic acid, thereby enabling effective flotation of ilmenite. The effective combination of various reagents improves the flotation recovery rate. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a flotation flow chart of ilmenite in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0014] Figure 2 The flotation recovery rate of ilmenite under the condition of using phosphoric acid as a single collector in Comparative Example 1 is shown.

[0015] Figure 3 The flotation recovery rate of ilmenite under the condition of using a single hydroxamic acid as a collector in Comparative Example 2;

[0016] Figure 4 The flotation recovery rate of ilmenite under the condition of using a single fatty acid as a collector in Comparative Example 3 is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to examples. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0018] In the following examples, fatty acids, phosphoric acid, and hydroxamic acid were all added in solutions of 0.1%-0.3%. During the solution preparation process, sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, or lime was added to control the pH value to 4-7.

[0019] Example 1

[0020] like Figure 1 As shown, 2g of ilmenite was added to the flotation cell, and the pH was adjusted to the required value using hydrochloric acid or sodium hydroxide. First, 20 mg / L lauric acid solution and 10 mg / L n-octylphosphoric acid were added and stirred for 3 min. Then, 10 mg / L benzoyl oxime acid was added and stirred for 3 min. After aeration for 1 min, flotation was carried out for 2 min. The frothy product obtained was the concentrate, and the product in the flotation cell was the tailings. The flotation product parameters under different pH conditions are shown in Table 1.

[0021] Table 1. Flotation product indicators under different pH conditions

[0022]

[0023] As can be seen from Table 1, the use of a multi-element collector achieved a good recovery rate of ilmenite, reaching 87.31%.

[0024] Example 2

[0025] Add 2g of ilmenite to the flotation cell, adjust the pH to 5 using hydrochloric acid or sodium hydroxide, add short-chain fatty acid solution and phosphoric acid and stir for 3 min, then add hydroxamic acid and stir for 3 min. After aeration for 1 min, float for 2 min. The frothy product is the concentrate, and the product in the flotation cell is the tailings. The flotation product parameters under different collector dosages are shown in Table 2.

[0026] Table 2. Flotation product indicators under different collector dosages

[0027]

[0028] Comparative Example 1

[0029] Other conditions are the same as in Example 1, except that the collector is hypophosphite, and the dosage is 200 mg / L. The flotation recovery rate is as follows: Figure 2As shown in the figure, in the actual mineral processing process, using hypophosphoric acid as a collector, the recovery rate of ilmenite can reach 70%.

[0030] Comparative Example 2

[0031] Other conditions are the same as in Example 1, except that the collector is benzohydroxyxamic acid, and the dosage is 2 × 10⁻⁶. -4 mol / L. Flotation recovery rate as follows: Figure 3 As shown in the figure, in the actual mineral processing, using benzyl hydroxamic acid as a collector, the highest recovery rate of ilmenite is 45%. Benzyl hydroxamic acid needs to react with Pb. 2+ A better recovery rate can be achieved when used in combination.

[0032] Comparative Example 3

[0033] Other conditions are the same as in Example 1, except that the collector is sodium oleate, and the dosage is 2 × 10⁻⁶. -4 mol / L. Flotation recovery rate as follows: Figure 4 As shown in the figure, in the actual mineral processing process, the highest recovery rate of ilmenite is 62% when sodium oleate is used as the collector.

[0034] As can be seen from the comparison of the examples and comparative examples, compared with traditional mineral processing methods, the present invention uses a multi-element collector, which combines the characteristics of foaming and strong selectivity. The recovery rate increases from 45%-70% obtained by a single collector to 87.31%, making it a highly efficient and economical flotation method.

[0035] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific details in the above embodiments. Within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention, various simple modifications can be made to the technical solution of the present invention, and these simple modifications all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0036] It should also be noted that the various specific technical features described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present invention will not describe the various possible combinations separately.

[0037] Furthermore, various different embodiments of the present invention can be combined in any way, as long as they do not violate the spirit of the present invention, they should also be regarded as the content disclosed by the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for enhanced flotation of ilmenite, characterized in that, The process includes the following steps: with the pH of the ilmenite slurry at 4-7, 20-40 mg / L of short-chain fatty acid and 10-20 mg / L of chain phosphoric acid are added first. After the reaction, 10-20 mg / L of benzohydroxyxamic acid is added for aeration flotation. The short-chain fatty acid is palmitic acid or lauric acid, and the chain phosphoric acid is isobutylphosphoric acid or n-octylphosphoric acid.

2. The enhanced flotation method for ilmenite according to claim 1, characterized in that, The amount of the short-chain fatty acid used is 25-35 mg / L, the amount of the chain phosphate used is 12-18 mg / L, and the amount of the hydroxamic acid used is 12-18 mg / L.

3. The enhanced flotation method for ilmenite according to claim 1, characterized in that, After adding the short-chain fatty acid and chain phosphate, stir the reaction for 2-3 minutes.

4. The enhanced flotation method for ilmenite according to claim 1, characterized in that, After adding the hydroxamic acid, aerate for 1-2 minutes and then float for 2-3 minutes.

5. The enhanced flotation method for ilmenite according to claim 1, characterized in that, The solid content of the ilmenite slurry is 30-40%.

6. The enhanced flotation method for ilmenite according to claim 1, characterized in that, The particle size of the ilmenite slurry is 200-400 mesh.

Images