Separation of ultra-fine hematite and quartz particles using asynchronous flocculation flotation

Abstract

Abstract Starch was used as a selective depressant/flocculant for ultra-fine hematite, and polyethylene oxide (PEO) was used as a flocculant for ultra-fine quartz in the reverse cationic flotation of ultra-fine hematite-quartz mixtures. Batch flotation, sedimentation, focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM) and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) measurements were performed to investigate the flotation separation performance and the mechanisms of the asynchronous flocculation flotation process. The results indicated that with the addition of 50\xa0g/t PEO, the grade and recovery of the iron concentrate were increased by 2.3 and 2.9 percentage points, respectively. Quartz flocculation by PEO significantly assisted its flotation by the cationic collector.