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Selective flotation of silicates from phosphates using Tetrabutyl Ammonium Chloride as a green collector

Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The selective flotation of silicate minerals from phosphate ores remains a significant challenge in mineral processing. This is due to the similar surface properties of silicates and phosphates which often lead to difficulties in achieving efficient separation. The produced fine silicate minerals entrain into the phosphate froth and deteriorate the froth quality. Therefore, the utilization of functional and more selective reagents to enhance the separation of silicates from phosphates is appealing.This study introduces Tetrabutyl Ammonium Chloride (TBAC) as a novel selective collector for silicates in the reverse flotation of apatite-quartz model sample. Zeta potential measurements, contact angle analysis, FTIR, and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XPS) were employed to investigate reagent adsorption at mineral-water interfaces. The XPS analysis revealed the absence of N 1s peaks in the spectra of quartz and apatite prior to TBAC treatment. After TBAC treatment, prominent N 1s peaks appeared, suggesting a significant interaction between TBAC and the quartz surface, particularly at higher pH levels, compared to apatite. Flotation tests were conducted to evaluate the performance of TBAC as collector for apatite and quartz. In single mineral flotation, the highest quartz recovery (97%) was achieved at pH 11 with a TBAC dosage of 150 g/ton, In the same conditions, apatite recovery was reduced to 31.6%. The binary-mineral system showed a higher recovery of apatite with a commercial quartz collector at 52.4%, compared to just 25.3% when TBAC was used.
DOI: 10.1016/j.crgsc.2025.100461
Language: English
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,500
OpenAlex ID: W4410314608
FWCI: 1.523
Cites: 36
Cited by: 6
Related to: 10