Fluorite is known as the “second rare earth” for its unique value and wide industrial application. However, my country’s fluorite resources are unevenly distributed. There are many single-type deposits but small reserves, while there are few co-existing deposits but large reserves.
Factors to pay attention to in flotation fluorite Mineral Processing
Therefore, efficient fluorite Mineral Processing technology is particularly critical and directly affects the grade and recovery rate of fluorite.
Fluorite Ore Properties
The original ore properties of fluorite are complex, and it is often associated with minerals such as quartz, calcite, scheelite, barite and sulfide. Therefore, fluorite can be classified into quartz type, barite type, calcite type and sulfide type. The content and characteristics of these impurity minerals significantly affect the selection and effect of the Mineral Processing. Different types of impurity minerals and embedding methods will change the selection of Mineral Processing methods and reagents. At the same time, the hardness of the ore affects the crushing and grinding efficiency, thereby affecting the recovery rate of fluorite concentrate.
Fluorite Grinding Particle Size
Grinding particle size is one of the main factors affecting Mineral Processing indicators. It is directly related to the monomer dissociation of fluorite and gangue minerals, which in turn affects the grade and recovery rate of the concentrate. In flotation operations, coarse particle size can improve the recovery rate but reduce the grade, medium particle size can take into account both grade and recovery rate, and fine particle size has low both. Too coarse or too fine grinding particle size will have an adverse effect on fluorite flotation. Therefore, the process of segmented grinding and stage separation is often used to control the particle size and ensure the quality of the concentrate.
Fluorite slurry temperature
- The slurry temperature has a significant effect on the flotation effect of fluorite, especially closely related to the performance of carboxylic acid collectors. Within a certain temperature range (such as 20-35℃), increasing the slurry temperature can enhance the solubility and dispersibility of the carboxylic acid collector, thereby improving its collection ability for fluorite ore and increasing the recovery rate.
- However, if the fluorite is not completely dissociated, high temperature may cause gangue minerals to mix in, thereby reducing the grade of the concentrate. On the contrary, the collection capacity is weakened at low temperatures. Although fluorite with good floatability can still be selected and maintain a high grade, the recovery rate will be low. Therefore, it is necessary to select a suitable temperature range according to the characteristics of fluorite and gangue to achieve a balance between concentrate grade and recovery rate.
pH of fluorite slurry
- The pH value of the slurry is a key parameter in fluorite flotation, which directly affects the floatability and selectivity of fluorite and its gangue minerals. Generally, by using sodium carbonate or sulfuric acid as a pH adjuster, maintaining the pH value of the slurry in the range of 8 to 10 helps to improve the floatability of fluorite, especially when oleic acid is used as a collector. The effect is more significant.
- For different types of fluorite ores, such as calcite-fluorite type, controlling the pH value between 8 and 9.5 can ensure that both fluorite and calcite have good floatability. In the separation process of fluorite and quartz, adjusting the pH value of the slurry to 8 to 9 helps to optimize the separation effect. At the same time, it is necessary to be vigilant that too low pH value may trigger the reduction reaction of sodium carbonate, or too high pH value may cause pulp alkalinization, which will weaken the flotation performance. In actual production, the amount of regulator should be adjusted to ensure that the pulp pH value is stable within the appropriate range, so as to achieve the ideal flotation effect.
Fluorite reagent system
- In the fluorite flotation process, the selection and dosage of reagents have a significant impact on the separation effect of fluorite and gangue minerals. Although fatty acid collectors (such as oleic acid and oxidized paraffin soap) have the advantages of low cost and wide sources, their selectivity and solubility are limited, and their antifreeze resistance is poor.
- Inhibitors are mainly used to inhibit gangue minerals such as calcite, barite, and quartz. Among them, inorganic inhibitors such as water glass, sodium hexametaphosphate, and organic inhibitors such as tannin extract and lignin sulfonate are widely used, especially water glass. By combining water glass with high-valent metal ion salts or sulfuric acid, or mixing it with sulfuric acid in a certain proportion to form acidic water glass, its adsorption selectivity can be enhanced, thereby significantly improving flotation efficiency.
- In terms of reagent dosage control, when the amount of collector is large, the recovery rate is high, but the grade is low, which is suitable for the roughing stage; when the amount of collector is small, the grade is high but the recovery rate is low, which is suitable for the concentrating stage to improve the quality of the concentrate. For different types of fluorite ores, combined reagents or new reagents can be used to optimize the separation effect, and combined with the optimization of process flow and equipment, the recovery rate and economic benefits of fluorite can be significantly improved.
Fluorite water quality
During the flotation process, the influence of water quality on the performance of collectors and inhibitors cannot be ignored. When oleic acid is used as a collector in fluorite flotation, the ion components in the water, especially the presence of calcium ions and magnesium ions, may weaken the effect of the reagent, significantly reduce the flotation effect of fluorite, and thus affect the grade and recovery rate of the concentrate. Therefore, in order to ensure the flotation efficiency, the water source used needs to be softened in advance to avoid the adverse effects of ionic components in hard water on the performance of collectors and inhibitors.
Conclusion
In order to optimize the Mineral Processing effect of fluorite, a variety of influencing factors need to be considered comprehensively. As a common method for fluorite purification, the effect of flotation is restricted by many factors, so it is necessary to continuously optimize the technology to meet the challenges of resource changes.
In order to optimize the Mineral Processing effect of fluorite, a variety of influencing factors need to be considered comprehensively. The first step is to conduct Mineral Processing tests, and tailor scientific and reasonable separation process and technical parameters based on the specific properties of fluorite ore and Mineral Processing plant conditions. At the same time, strengthen the professional training of operators and maintenance personnel, improve their skills, ensure rigorous and orderly production management, and avoid fluctuations in production conditions caused by operational errors or management omissions, thereby affecting the actual effect of fluorite flotation.