The invention belongs to the technical field of flotation reagents, and discloses a use method for activating minerals by utilizing
ion waste liquid generated by preparing
alkyl thiophosphate. The method comprises the following steps: removing or reducing impurities in the waste liquid to obtain purified waste liquid which can be used as an activating agent; and then, in the flotation operation, ore to be treated is crushed, ground and pulped, an inhibitor, the activating agent, a collecting agent and a
foaming agent are sequentially added, and target concentrate is obtained after stirring, air inflation and flotation. The activation potential of the
alkyl thiophosphate waste liquid on minerals is found for the first time, industrial
wastewater is converted into the efficient flotation activating agent, and a traditional activating agent can be replaced and strengthened. According to the method, the
pollution problem of the
alkyl thiophosphate waste liquid is solved, the flotation
reagent cost is reduced, meanwhile, the concentrate grade and the
recovery rate of valuable minerals such as
zinc ore,
gold ore,
copper ore and
pyrite can be improved, the requirement for green mine construction is met, and a new path is provided for efficient separation of low-grade ore.