Positive and negative flotation method of spodumene

October 27, 2021

Flotation of spodumene, there are two different processes, one positive flotation, and second reverse flotation.
The positive flotation process is the process of preferential flotation of spodumene: the essence is: grinding fine ore in alkaline medium formed by sodium hydroxide or sodium carbonate, high concentration, strong agitation and multiple washing and de-muding, adding The fatty acid or its soap is used as a collector to directly float the spodumene.
The Soviet Union Mineral Processing Research Institute has conducted a beneficiation study on the Zaviqin deposit, which is a pegmatite deposit. The sample is taken from the coarse-grained zone and partially weathered. The spodumene grains are mostly 10-15 mm. The proposed process developed by the institute is a positive flotation process, as shown in Figure 1. According to this process, the mine can obtain a spodumene concentrate with a grade greater than 5% Li 2 O, and the recovery rate is 70-75%.

Figure 1 Soviet Union's proposed process for processing Zaviqin mine
As early as 1960, when the beneficiation study was carried out on the pegmatite spodumene ore in Xinjiang, China's ore dressing workers first invented and formulated a simplified process for the alkaline flotation process without sludge removal and non-washing. as shown in picture 2. The process was used in production in 1961. The industrial production index is: 1.3 to 2% Li 2 O in the ore, and the diaspresite concentrate grade is 4 to 5% Li 2 O, and the recovery rate is 85 to 90%.
The reverse flotation process is to inhibit the spodumene in a lime-adjusted alkaline medium with dextrin and starch as a regulator, and use a cationic collector to float the silicate-like gangue mineral as a foam. The product in the tank is The spodumene concentrate, shown in Figure 3, is the reverse flotation process recommended by Denver.
Figure 2 Sparkling solution of spodumene alkali method [next]
Figure 3 Denver's recommended reverse flotation process
In the 1950s and 1960s, the United States adopted a reverse flotation process. Currently, both the US and China's spodumene flotation plants use a positive flotation process.
(1) Separation of spodumene and beryl
In the granitic pegmatite deposit, spodumene and beryl are often associated with each other. Their separation was once regarded as one of the problems of lithium niobium ore dressing. It has been extensively studied at home and abroad. In the early 1960s, China’s mineral processing workers formulated The following three lithium bismuth separation processes are available:
1 preferentially float part of lithium, then lithium sputum mixed and then separated
Using NaF, Na 2 CO 3 as a regulator, preferentially flotation of a part of spodumene with fatty acid soap, then adding NaOH and Ca 2+ , mixing floatation of spodumene-beryl with fatty acid soap, and finally spodumene-green After the column foam product is treated with Na 2 CO 3 , NaOH T and acid, and alkaline water glass, the beryl is separated by flotation, and the principle flow is shown in FIG. 4 . The process was handed over directly to production after the successful semi-industrial test in 1965.
Fig. 4 Principle flow of preferential flotation of spodumene, spodumene and beryl mixed separation [next]
   
2 preferentially choose beryl, and then spodumene
Firstly, the easy-float mineral is selected, and then the spodumene is subjected to the frustrated condition in the Na 2 CO 3 , Na 2 S and NaOH high alkali medium, and the beryl is preferentially floated with the fatty acid soap. After the beryl flotation tailings are activated by NaOH, the fatty acid soap is added to float the spodumene. The principle flow is shown in Figure 5. This process was used as the No. 1 series production process when the Cocoto Sea Concentrator was later designed.
3 preferentially choose spodumene, then choose beryl
In a low-alkali medium in which Na 2 CO 3 alkali lignin (dissolving lignosulfonate with alkali) acts for a long time, beryl and gangue minerals are inhibited, and oxidized paraffin soap, naphthenic acid soap and diesel flotation lithium are used. pyroxene. Thereafter, NaOH, Na 2 S and FeCl 3 were added to activate the beryl and inhibit the gangue mineral, and the beryl was floated with oxidized paraffin soap and diesel. The principle flow is shown in Figure 6. This process was used as the second series production process when the Cocoto Sea Concentrator was later designed.
The above three processes developed in the early 1960s were semi-industrial trials with the Cocoto Sea pegmatite lithium antimony ore, and the tests were successful. The results are shown in the table below.
Tailings after 1959 J · S · Browning (Browning) and his colleagues elected lithium mica ore and gold silk Hill concentrator were spodumene and beryl separate semi-industrial tests to recover beryl . The test feed contains 0.068% BeO, 0.44% Li 2 O, mineral composition, %:
Beryl spodumene other quartz feldspar mica
0.6 5.1 1.8 50.9 41.5 0.1
Figure 5 Priority selection of beryl, then the principle process of selecting spodumene
Figure 6   The principle process of selecting the spodumene and then selecting the beryl [next]
Table   Semi-industrial test results of three lithium bismuth separation processes
Process
Raw ore grade, %
Antimony concentrate, %
Lithium concentrate, %
BeO
Li 2 O
grade
BeO
Recovery rate
grade
Li 2 O
Recovery rate
Prefer the flotation of part of spodumene, then
Separation and separation of spodumene and beryl
0.045
0.99
9.62
54.5
5.84
84.4
Prioritize flotation of beryl, then choose
Spodumene
0.054
0. 895
8.82
60.2
6.01
84.6
Priority flotation of spodumene, then flotation
Beryl
0.0457
1.097
8.44
49.9
5.67
84.6
The test scale was 1.5 tons/hour, and the alkaline medium-fatty acid flotation process and the acidic medium- oil sulfonate flotation process were used. The latter process obtained better indexes. The process is flotation of spodumene after deliming, and then mixed flotation and separation of beryl-feldspar, and the results obtained three products of beryl, spodumene and feldspar. The drug consumption for processing one ton of ore is 2 kg. The semi-industrial test procedure is shown in Figures 7 and 8. The test indicators are as follows:
Figure 7 Alkaline medium - fatty acid flotation process
Figure 8 Acid medium- petroleum sulfonate flotation process
   
Acid medium- petroleum sulfonate flotation process:
Beryl concentrate grade: 6.4% BeO recovery rate 76.8%
The spodumene concentrate grade: 5.9% Li 2 O recovery rate 49%
Feldspar concentrate grade: 98% feldspar
Alkaline medium-fatty acid flotation process:
Beryl concentrate grade: 4.12% BeO recovery rate 71.1%
The spodumene concentrate grade: 5.97% Li 2 O recovery rate 70.1%

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