Submit an Article
Become a reviewer
Aleksandr I. Kalugin
Aleksandr I. Kalugin
Ph.D.
Kirovsk Branch of Apatit
, Ph.D.
Kirovsk Branch of Apatit
Kirovsk
Russia

Articles

Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology
  • Date submitted
    2023-06-21
  • Date accepted
    2023-10-25
  • Online publication date
    2023-12-29
  • Date published
    2024-08-26

Specific action of collector from phosphoric acid alkyl esters class in flotation of apatite-nepheline ores

Article preview

Increasing amount of apatite-nepheline ores with complex mineral composition involved in processing, growing content of the associated minerals in ore which are similar in their floatability to apatite lead to the necessity of using highly selective collectors. Non-frothing flotation method gave a comparative assessment of floatability of pure minerals and demonstrated a high selectivity of the action of phosphoric acid esters in relation to apatite. The effect of four reagent modes differing in the number of selective synthetic collectors was studied using the example of flotation of an apatite-nepheline ore sample containing 17.27 % apatite and 40.18 % nepheline. Mineralogical analysis of crushed ore showed that it contained two apatite varieties – coarse-grained free and finer poikilitic as inclusions in rock-forming minerals. Free apatite opens and occurs as open grains even in coarse-grained (+0.16 mm) grades. Poikilitic apatite occurs as intergrowths with different minerals, mainly with nepheline and its alteration products (natrolite, spreustein, sodalite, etc.), and pyroxene. Optical microscopy demonstrated that a growing share of reagent from the phosphoric acid oxyethylated esters class in the composition of the collector mixture allows improving the quality of the produced apatite concentrates by reducing the number of apatite intergrowths with nepheline and pyroxenes in the concentrates. In the concentrate obtained in the most selective reagent mode, the intergrowths are characterized by a 50/50 and higher ratio in favour of apatite. Concentrates of lower quality comprised intergrowths with lower apatite content, to 20/80 or less.

How to cite: Mitrofanova G.V., Chernousenko E.V., Kompanchenko A.A., Kalugin A.I. Specific action of collector from phosphoric acid alkyl esters class in flotation of apatite-nepheline ores // Journal of Mining Institute. 2024. Vol. 268. p. 637-645. EDN CSNOBO