Flotation Of Apatite And Dolomite Using Sodium Oleate As The Collector (6f789bba-c730-4fa0-9a15-7e9abadbe184)

Single and mixed mineral flotation behavior and the mechanisms for the loss of selectivity in 1:1 and 95:5 apatite: dolomite mineral mixtures are presented. Loss of selectivity in mixed mineral systems is attributed to depletion of oleate ions available for adsorption by bulk precipitation with calcium and magnesium ions dissolved from dolomite. Flotation after two-stage conditioning was found to be a potential technique to separate dolomite from apatite. This method involves conditioning at pH 10 followed by reconditioning at a lower pH. The results indicate that selective flotation of dolomite, a minor mineral in south Florida phosphate deposits, could be obtained by reconditioning at pH below 4.5. Higher selectivity was observed for mixed minerals as compared to that of single minerals.