AL-AZHAR UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

MINING & PETROLEUM DEPT.

4TH YEAR MINING & METALLURGY

ORE TREATMENT

Prof. Abdelhady Saleh

 Chapter1
“Introduction”
• Flotation process:
Is one of the separation processes used in mineral processing depends on
the difference in surface properties of mineral .

o According to the surface properties, the minerals are classified into:

▪ Hydrophobic (aerophilic) minerals: which haven’t desire to
wettability.
▪ Hydrophilic (aerophobic) minerals: which have a desire to
wettability.

- The separation of hydrophobic particles from hydrophilic particles is

carried out by air bubbles.
- The hydrophobic particles adhere to the air bubbles and collected in the
form of froth at the top of flotation cell
- The hydrophilic particles remain in the flotation cell.
- The hydrophobicity of minerals may be natural or enhanced by using
some chemical agents known as collectors.

❖ Other chemical agent known as:

1. Frothers : Are added to reduce the surface tension of the air water
interface and hence maintain the froth until removed or scraped
manually or mechanically from the cell.
2. Activators: To help adsorption of collector on the mineral surface
3. Depressants: To help in depression of hydrophilic mineral .
4. Dispersants: Used to make dispersion of particles in the cell.
5. Ph Modifier: Are used to adjust and control pH of pulp (flotation pulp in
the cell).

▪ The feed which contains hydrophobic and hydrophilic particles must be

crushed and ground to -.5mm (500M). The larger particles is too heavy to
carry by air bubbles. Also, the feed must deslimed (i.e remove the very
fine particles -10M because such particles have a harmful effect on
flotation process.

1
 ▪ After grinding ,the feed pulp is conditioned by proper chemical agents and
transferred to flotation cell, the air is introduced the aeration may be self-
aeration on supercharged. The self-aeration means that the air is
introduced to cell by the depression of the impeller. the super charged
means that the air is introduced to the cell through a plower. The air is
divided into air bubbles by a sparger.

▪ The contents of cell are agitated to ensure dispersion of particles and

distribution of chemical agents through all cell volume. The agitation may
be mechanical (by impeller or stirrer) or pneumatic (by compressed air).

▪ The product of flotation cell (concentrate or froth flotation and tailing) are
filtered and dried and assayed to determine recovery of metal.
The flotation process may be direct or reversed:
- Direct Flotation:
The valuable metal is collected in the concentrate froth product.

- Reverse Flotation:
The valuable metal remains in the cell and the nonvaluable metal is
floated.
Fig (1) shows schematic diagram of a conventional flotation cell.

Fig(1) conventional flotation cell.

2
 Chapter (2)
“Flotation circuits”
• Flotation circuits:
System of cell and auxiliary equipment arranged to give optimum flotation
results

• Elements of flotation circuits

1. rougher cells
- receive: feed on recycle scavenger concentrate or cleaner tailings
- produce: rougher concentrate for further treatment and rougher
tailing

2. scavenger cells
- receive: tailings from rougher
- produce: scavenger concentrate and final tailings scavenger. its
concentrate is recycled to rougher and joined with feed

3. cleaner cells
- receive: rougher concentrate with or without regrinding
- produce: cleaner concentrate final for recleaning and cleaner tailing
to join with feeds and to rougher

4. cleaner – scavenger cells

- receive: cleaner tailings as feed
- produce: cleaner scavenger tailings as final tailings and cleaner
scavenger concentrate which may join rougher concentrate as
cleaner concentrate depending on its grade

• the following is some examples for flotation circuits

3
 a- Rougher scavenger
Cells

Feed tails

Rougher Scavenger

`
Final conic

b- Rougher scavenger cleaner:

Feed tails

Rougher Scavenger

Cleaner

Final conc.
4
ca-
- Rougher-cleaner-recleaner-regrinding

Rougher
Rougher Scavenger

Regrinding

Recleaner

Cleaner

5
• Circuit flexibility
To be able to stand against changes in feed rate and changes
in grade (tans/hr. %metal)

➢ Methods or means of circuit flexibility

✓ storage agitator

Grind plant Storage Agitator Flotation

Material from here is pumped at controlled Rate to flotation cell fence

changes in rate and Grade may be solved

✓ parallel flotation banks

Flotation bank

Feed Tails
Feed
Flotation bank
distributer

Flotation bank

Valves

❖ By shutting off the feed or using a required number of banks changes in

flow rate and grade can be solved

6
✓ Control of cell split

❖ To solve changes in grade this is by increasing a decreasing number of

rougher cells in the bank (i.e. decreasing or increasing number of
scavenger cells)
❖ If grade of ore decreased it necessary to reduce number of
rougher cells in order to provide cleaners with required grade
We have 5 portions each with 4 cells
Hence by
Plugging outlet B 12 rougher cell
Plugging outlet, A 8 rougher cell
✓ Automatic control between cleaners and recleaners

7
 ❖ When feed rate to recleaners (cleaner concentrate) is increased
❖ Diverters can be used automatically to increase number of recleaners
and decrease number of cleaners
• Flotation bank design
✓ The bank may be a few (little) cells of large volume
or Large number of small cells

✓ Many cells give large flexibility with regard to production and efficiency
✓ Large cells give more flexibility with regard to maintenance costs
With large cells the effect of residence time is more series

✓ Large number of small cells gives flexibility by increasing recovery

✓ Small cells for greater flexibility and metallurgical performance
✓ Large cells for smaller capital cost less floor area and lower
operating cost

8
 Chapter 3
“Flotation practice”
• Klimpel concept for floatation system:
highly self-interacting compensating system consists of 3 major
components:
1. Chemistry component: collectors, frothers, activators, depressants, and
PH regulators.
2. Operation component: feed rate, mineralogy, particle size, pulp
density, and pulp temperature.
3. Equipment component: cell design, agitation, air flow, and cell bank.

❖ What are the factors that affect floatation system?

1. Particle size:
- Max size -0.5 or -0.3 mm, and min size 5-10 µm
- larger particles are heavy so that they can’t carried out by air bubbles
- smaller particles is carried out by mechanical carry over mechanism
which reduce selectivity

- Effect of fines:
recovery %

i) Readily oxidize
ii) Have high surface area in
10 µm 100 µm 500
relative to its mass particle size µm

iii) Differences between valuable Good recovery in the rang 10-100

and non-valuable are small µm

iv) Slime coating which make collector adsorption difficult

v) If near froth column they tend to overflow with froth regardless of their
composition as downward pull of gravity is offset by upward force of
bubble drift
vi) Fines float with mechanical carry over mechanism

9
2. Pulp density:
1. Pulp must be dilute enough to keep free move of particles
(not thicker than 40% solids by weight)
2. With Al must less than 15%
3. With coal about 10%
4. Whenever the metal is light the pulp is dilute
dilute ‫ خفيف‬pulp ‫كلما كان المعدن خفيف يكوم ال‬
5. It depends on mean size of feed (coarse feed requires thick pulp)
6. Higher density pulps applied with coarser sizes because coarse
particles settle at a rapid rate and such rate may be reduced by
increasing volume of particles (thick pulp)
7. When pulp dilution varies, concentration of H+, particle buoyancy,
amount of water, rate of conditioning, and flotation in cells will
change

3. Pulp temperature:
at normal temp 15 – 20 °C or pulp is warmed as in sphalerite (ZnS)

4. Process water:
- Chemical composition of water affects floatation system
- Deoxygenation of water, organic matter, sulphates acts as
depressants
- Hardness of water cause collector consumption
- Metal ions acts as activators (as ions of heavy metals)

5. Bubble size:
- Fine bubbles better with fine particles
- Spectrum of bubbles (fine-medium-coarse) is appropriate for size
distribution of feed

6. Pulp PH:
Because all involved reactions affected by PH

10
 7. Air rate:
There is an optimum rate below or higher than it floatation process
becomes worse

8. Cell or machine type:

Different machines have different cell profiles and different impeller
mechanisms and affect floatation system

❖ Pulp preparation:

❖ Ore:
1) Grinding or liberation of ore to -0.5 mm
2) Blending to over come changes in properties of associated minerals
3) Avoid surface oxidation
Its Occur from:
➢ Geological changes
➢ Delayed transportation
➢ Overlong storage
Disadvantages:
➢ Oxidized ore may over ground
➢ Oxidized ore inert for collector adsorption

4) Avoid over grinding: i.e., applying staged floatation

▪ Staged floatation: floating minerals as coarse as possible and then
make regrind of concentrate.
▪ Advantages of staged floatation:
➢ Lower grinding costs
➢ Increase recovery due to decreased slime losses and decreased
slime coatings
➢ Fewer over grinding particles
➢ Increase metallurgical efficiency
➢ Less floatation equipment
➢ Increase efficiency of floatation

11
 ▪ To avoid overgrinding a ball mill-classifier closed circuit is used

F Mill

U.F
Classifier O.F

To floatation

▪ Also, to avoid over grinding, produce coarse final feed tailing and
regrind coarse rougher concentrate

Coarse tailing
fee final
rougher
d tailing

coarse concentrate

regrinding

cleaner

Final concentrate

5) Desliming of feed
Feed O.F(fines
cyclone ) tailing

U.F tailing
cleaner

Final concentrate
12
❖ Floatation reagents:
❖ Conditioning: mixing of floatation reagents with feed(ores)
❖ Conditioning aims:
1. good mixing to disperse reagent through pulp
2. repeated contact between reagent molecule & mineral particles
3. provide time for desired reaction
4. dispersion of slime coatings
5. correction of PH
6. carry out flocculation if necessary
7. any needed depression or activation
8. adding the required collector

❖ Reagent forms:
1. Solids
2. Immiscible liquids
3. Emulsion

- Emulsification to avoid adsorption of collector by small quantity of

mineral (i.e. make collector dispersion)
- Reagents are added in small quantities
- Quality of reagent affect its quantity

❖ Reagents addition points

- In ball mills:
➢ its good mixers and the reaction take place when new surface is
produced
➢ Ball mill disperse and emulsify insoluble reagents
- In surge tanks: between classifier and floatation cell
- In floatation cell

❖ Addition points depend on:

- Purpose of reagent
- Solubility of it
- Physical condition of reagent

13
• Factors affect reagent performance:

1) Fineness of grinding:
- Increase area
- Increase reagent dosage and poor concentrate
2) Slimes/desliming
- Slimes require increase of collector
- Desliming reduce collector
3) Thick pulp
- Reduce reagent conc.
4) Machine type
5) Capacity of floatation machine
6) Assay value
7) Particle/bubble contact: which depends on:
a) Number of collisions
b) Kinetic energy of air bubble
c) Total aerated air volume
d) Speed of air bubble
e) Size of air bubble

• Overdose Vs starvation dose:

Overdose lead to loss of collector and reduce concentrate grade
Hence starvation is a good choice

• Differential floatation:
‫عندما يكون الخام يحتوي عىل ر‬
‫أكث من معدن مفيد ويتم تعويمهم بالتتابع‬

• Conditioning tanks:
Cylindrical tanks fitted with propellers for agitation

14
• Reagent storage:
(1)Arrangement in store, the oldest first and the newest behind
(2)Avoid effects of heat, wetting, and corrosion of containers
(3)Dangerous effects of poisons

❖ Reagents usually stored in:

- Sacks
- Paper bags
- Drums
- Parallels

(4)Periodic check on reagents

(5)Storing space must allow for swelling

• Reagent handling:

❖ Dry reagents: belt conveyor and blactro vibrator

❖ Wet reagents: petrol tin, rotating disc, flat faced pulley, and
electromagnetic vibrators.

15
 Chapter 4
“Coal Flotation”

Coal flotation depends on the difference in surface properties between organic

matter and mineral matter i.e. between coal macerals and silicates or shale . the
successful exploitation of this difference is achieved between 0.5 mm and 5/10
micron .it is difficult to float smaller and larger sizes .this is because smaller
particles lead to reagent consumption slime coatings and float mainly by
mechanical carryover mechanism which doesn’t distinguish between
hydrophobic and hydrophilic .Also the larger particle is too heavy to be carried
by air bubble .

• Factors affect coal flotation:

❖ (Inherent factors ) :
1- Coal rank :
➢ Coal may be classified according to its rank into :
Lignite – Subbituminous – High volatile bit – Med. Volatile bit – Low
volatile bit – Anthracite
➢ The carbon content increases from Lignite to be maximum in Anthracite
while the vice versa with regard to oxygen content the recovery of
flotation increases with increasing carbon content of coal .
2- petrographic Composition :
➢ coal consists of different lithotypes which contain different coal
macerals. these lithotypes include clarain , vitrain , durain and fusain
the floatability of such lithotypes is different . Hence , Coal which
contains high concentration of one lithotype is float differently from
coal that contains high concentration of another lithotype .
3- Mineral Matter content :
➢ The greater amount the mineral matter the coal encloses the lesser
hydrophobic the coal will be .
4- Surface Oxidation :
➢ Surface oxidation of coal results from weathering . it is one of the major
reasons of poor floatation response of coal as it result in oxygen
functional groups (carbony =co, carboxyl –CooH, Hydroxyl-OH ) .
➢ These groups change the hydrophobic surface Of coal into hydrophilic.
16
17
18
❖ Operation factors :
➢ These factors depend on flotation operation itself . these factors may
be regarded as the general factors that affect any flotation system .
➢ They include , particle size , bubble size , pulp PH , cell or machine type ,
air rate and froth depth etc.

❖ Coal reagents :
- Collectors : Fuel oil by-products such as diesel oil and kerosene and soltrol
- Frothers : the same frothers which applied with mineral flotation such as
alcohols, polyglycol reagent , MIBC .
- depressants :
a. Starch :for coal depression
b. inorganic salts and hypo phosphorous acid : for coal depression

▪ Sodium Silicate : for gangue depression

▪ Lime, sodium cyanide :for pyrite depression
▪ Inorganic electrolyte : when they used in low concentrations they affect
as activators but when used in high concentrations, they may hinder
flotation .
▪ Sodium silicate or sodium phosphate may be used as coal dispersants .
▪ HCl and NaOH used for pH regulation.

• Coal flotation circuit

a) Two –stage reagent addition circuit
Consists of adding apart of reagent ( collector )then performing
flotation and finally adding the another part and repeat the procedure
on the tailings of the first flotation stage .

b) Two –stage conditioning circuit

In this circuit apart of collector is added in a conditioning tank with
intensive mixing of feed slurry prior to flotation and the remainder of
collector is added at the beginning of flotation process

c) Spilt flotation circuit (Fractional flotation circuit):

In this circuit , the feed firstly classified into fine and coarse fractions .
Each fract is treated and floated separately . this circuit is suggested to
avoid the harmful effect of fines on the flotation response of coarse
particles.
19
d) Two stage reverse flotation circuit
This circuit is suggested to treat the high Sulphur coal .to improve its
desulphurization it consists of two stages . the first is a conventional
flotation of coal while the second includes floating pyrite and
depressing coal.

e) Reflotation of classified tailing circuit :

the first flotation stage is a conventional flotation of coal . the tailings
from the first stage are classified prior carrying out the second flotation
stage .

f) Combined gravity /flotation circuit :

this circuit include a combination of gravity concentration and froth
flotation . this circuit was suggested to remove Sulphur from coal and
found to be effect when the feed characterized by a wide size
distribution .

the choice of a specific circuit is depending on the composition of coal and

the type of Sulphur it contains . the Sulphur in coal may be organic Sulphur is
difficult to separate from coal by physical methods such as flotation while the
inorganic Sulphur is easy to be removed by flotation .

20
 (A)

1/2collector 1/2collector
ortor

feed Flotation cell tailing

Flotation cell

Final conc

(b) 1/2COLLECTOR
1/2collctor

feed

Final tailing

(c) feed Final conc

screen
coarse + fine(-)

Final tailing

Final conc

21
 Tailing Final
feed
of151 coal
stage

Coal concentrate

(d)
Sulphur
(pyrite as
conc)

(e)

feed
Screen 125u

Over size +125 -125 micron rejected under

size

Coal concentrate

Final tailing

Final
conc

22
 Feed

(f)

Screen 0.5

Over size +0.5mm Under size -0.5

tailing
Sp.gr unit H.M.S

tailing
Flotation cell
conc.

Final tailing conc.

Final conc.

23
 Chapter (5)
“Copper flotation”
• Copper minerals
- sulphide minerals as:
1. chalcopyrite : (CuFeS2)
2. chalcocite : (Cu2S)
3. Bornite : (Cu5FeS4)
4. covellite : (CuS)
- oxide minerals as :-
1. cuprite : Cu2O
2. malachite : CuCO3.(OH)3
3. Azurite : 2CuCO3.Cu(OH)2
Hence copper ores may be :-
1. sulphide copper ores
2. oxidized copper ores
3. mixed copper ores . (sulphides+oxides)

- porphyry copper ore :

it’s a very oval or pipe shape deposit of low grade.
It’s considered a bulk copper deposit (sulphides+oxides)

• sulphide copper minerals flotation

- readily float
- collector: xanthates (anionic collector)
- need alkaline pulp (pH 8-12)
- pH regulator: usually lime is used because it has depression effect on
associated pyrite also
- frothers: natural frothers an pine oil and cresylic acid or synthetic frothers
or alcohols , methyl isobutyl (MIBC) and polyglycol esters
- primary grinding of ore 50-60% of ore -75µ and the secondary grinding of
rougher concentrate to 90-100% -75µ

24
 - Reagent consumption :
Lime → 1.5 kg/t
Xanthate → 0.002-0.3 kg/t
frother → 0.02-0.15 kg/t

• oxide copper minerals flotation

- there are copper oxide minerals easily float by sulphidization

- Others are difficult to float or difficult to sulphidize and hence they
recovered by chemical leaching the sulphidization by sodium sulphide
(Na2s) as it covers the oxide surface by a sulphide layer.

• mixed ores (sulphides+oxides)

- flotation of sulphides first

- flotation of easily floated oxides by sulphidization
- then leaching for recovering the rest oxide minerals
- Economic grade for smelter 25-50% Cu

➢ Example for flotation of sulphide copper ores Bougainville copper

- ore is ground to 80%-250micro

- collector sodium isopropyl xanthate (7 gm/t)
- frother MIBC (189 m/t) and Aero froth 65 (69m/t)
- pH regulator lime (500 gm/t)
- Also, potassium amyl xanthate (4 gm/t) is added as a collector to rougher
cells during flotation
- rougher and scavenger concentrate are reground before cleaning

25
 ❖ products :

▪ copper concentrate :-
128%Cu Recovery =91%
27 gm/t gold Recovery =72%
70 gm/t silver Recovery = 70%
▪ Cu recovery = 91%
Silver recovery = 70%
Gold recovery 72%

❖ by product (molybdenum)
it obtained from final concentrate by floating molybdenum with fuel oil
as a collector and depressing copper minerals with sodium cyanide

➢ Mixed ores (sulphides + oxides) Nchanga flowsheet:-

- the technique includes firstly to float sulphides and then make

sulphidization of oxides by sodium sulphide (Na2s) or sodium
hydrosulphide (NaHS) and float oxides
- the sulphidization is carried out on the tailings of sulphide flotation
- the oxide minerals that did not float after sulphidization (i.e. difficult to
float) is extracted from oxide flotation tailings solvent extraction (leaching)

26
Bougainville flowsheet sulphide ores

27
Mixed ore (sulphides+oxides)

28
Chemical extraction of oxides in Nchanga

29
 Chapter 6
“Flotation of Lead and zinc ore”
- Ore consists of gangue (PbS) sphalerite (ZnS).
- There are other minerals as cerussite (pb co3 ) and smithsonite (ZnCo3).
- By products {silver Ag ,cadmium Cd, Gold Au} Grinding of ore to 60% .

❖ Flotation Techniques:-
a. Bulk flotation:
Consists of floating Pb and zinc together. Then, floating Pb and depress
sphalerite of bulk concentrate and cleaning Pb concentrate and leaving Zn
as a tailing . using (Znso4) as depressant for Zn.
b. Two stage of selective flotation.
it consists of ,
1. Zinc and iron are depressed .
2. Lead minerals are floated.
3. Zinc minerals are activated.
4. Zinc minerals are floated .
• Lead flotation.
- PH from 9-11
PH control by lime because it has the advantage of depressing pyrite .
- Also, by soda ash ,Soda ash is preferred to lime because soda ash depress
pyrite (FeS2) sphalerite.
- Other depressants may be applied as sodium cyanide for pyrite depression
zinc sulphate for sphalerite depression .
OR, mixture of both applied.
- Cyanide react with iron and zinc xanthates to form soluble complexes and
hence, pyrite and sphalerite are depressed to ZnS .
- Sometimes zinc sulphate is used with cyanide to reduce cyanide
consumption .
➢ Disadvantage of cyanide.
1. Toxic .
2. Expensive .
3. Dissolve gold.
30
 ➢ Effectiveness of depressant.
▪ It depends on concentration and selectivity of collectors.
▪ Longer HC xanthates need high concentration of cyanide to
depress pyrite and sphalerite.

➢ Collector for galena (PbS).

1. Sodium isopropyl xanthates.
2. Sodium ethyl xanthates.
3. Sodium amyl xanthates.
➢ Frothier of galena .
Methyl Isobutyl carbonyl (MIBC).

❖ Activation of lead flotation tailing .

➢ Activator: copper sulphate (CuSo4 and sphalerite for sulphate).
➢ Lime to depress pyrite and the sometimes has no effect on activated
sphalerite.
➢ Zn flotation at PH 10-12
➢ collector for Zn:-
1. Isopropyl xanthate.
2. Ethyl xanthate.
3. Isobutyl xanthate. (sodium or potassium)
4. Amyl xanthate.
Also, thiono carbamate (Z 200 )collector.
The activated sphalerite behaves as chalcopyrite.
The following flowsheet just an example for flotation of lead/zinc ores.

31
 Flotation of lead/zinc ores

Primary Secondarw
Pb roughers
feed Pb roughers
grindin grinding
g

Pb cleaner

Pb recleaner

Pb
conc Pb dezinicing

Zn
conc

Zn roughers
T final

Zn cleaner

Zn recleaner

32
 Chapter 7
“Iron Flotation”
• Iron Minerals:
a) Hematite Fe2O3. b) Magnetite Fe3O3.
c) Pyrite FeS2. d) Siderite FeCo3.
f) Goethite Fe2O3.H2O
• Associated Gangue Minerals:
Mainly Silica (SiO2) , Al2O3 , MnO , MgO , TiO2 , CaO .

• Iron Flotation Techniques:

a) Anionic Flotation of iron oxides:
Olic acid or sodium oleate as collector and also organic sulphates may be
used as a collector.
R Coo- at PH 7.
R So4- at PH 4.
b) Anionic Flotation of Silica:
Also, oleic acid may be used as a collector.
R Coo- + Ca++ at PH=11
Calcium chloride (CaCl2) or lime as a collector for activator for silica to
give Ca++ ions .Starch to depress iron oxides.
c) Cationic Flotation of iron oxides:
NH3+ (Amines) as collector , F- Floride ion as activator, i.e. RNH3+ + F-
d) Cationic Flotation of silica:
- Amines as collector (RNH3+) at PH=7. Starch to depress iron oxides.
- Also, Tannic acid may be used to depress iron oxides.
- Kerosene may be added as activator to improve selectivity.

33
• The following figure shows zeta potential – PH curves for hematite and
quartz:

▪ ZPC for hematite occurs at PH=7 while ZPC for quartz occurs at PH=2.
▪ Between PH=2 , PH=7 the hematite surface is positively charged while
that of quartz is negatively charged . In such PH range a collector anion (-
)(such as sulfonate) will be absorbed on positively charged hematite
surface by electrostatic attraction.
▪ The anion collector will not adsorb on quartz surface as it negative. Hence
Hematite will float and silica will depress.
▪ When cationic collector(+) is used (such as RNH3Cl) in the same range
(PH=2-7)It will be adsorbed on quartz surface (negatively charged surface)
and not on hematite surface (positively charged surface).
▪ At over PH=7 both minerals will float with cationic collector, hence , in this
case , the flotation PH must be lower than ZPC of hematite and higher
than ZPC of quartz.

34
❖ In practice , the following methods are used in the upgrading of iron ores:
a. The deslimed iron ore is conditioned at PH=3-4 (H2SO4 PH regulator).
A sulfonate collector is then used to float iron oxides fig(2).
The sulfonate collector anions are electrostatically attracted to positive charged
iron mineral surface.

b. A cationic collector is added to iron ore pulp near natural pH=6 where
silica floated from iron ore. This method is rarely used due to high cost of
cationic collectors.

➢ Also, fatty acid collectors (oleic acid and its salts). At PH=9-10 Iron
concentrate is obtained by adding oleic acid.
➢ Sodium silicate is added to depress silica.
➢ silica may be activated by CaCl2 at pH=12 and floated from iron oxides
by fatty acid collector. Starch is added to depress iron oxides. In both
cases, the adsorption of oleate on iron minerals or on active silica is
chemical in nature.
➢ At pH=9-10 iron minerals are negative and the adsorption of negatively
charged collector (R Coo-) on negative surface cannot take place unless
chemical bonds are involved in the adsorption ,fig(3).

35
Flowsheet for flotation of siliceous gangue fig (4):

36
 Chapter 8
“Phosphate Flotation”
• Phosphate ore deposits are classified into:
1. Siliceous phosphate ores which contain silica and silicates (silicate
minerals)
2. Calcareous and dolomitic phosphate ores which containing calcite
(CaCO3) And/or dolomite (CaMgCO2)
3. Mixed phosphate ores which contains silica and silicates in addition to
carbonate minerals
➢ Hence: The main gangue minerals are silica or silicates and carbonate
minerals (calcite and dolomite)

• Location in Egypt:
1. between Edfo and Qena
2. Abu-Tartur plateau
3. Red-sea coast (Hamrawein, Safaga and Quesseir)

• Major minerals in phosphates ore

apatite (calcium phosphate Ca3(PO4)2 ), Silica, clay, Calcite, dolomite.

➢ Aim → Recovery apatite from one or more of other minerals.

➢ Origin: Marine phosphate ores, Igneous phosphate ores

• Siliceous phosphate ores:

technique applied → flotation.
1. conditioning the deslimed phosphate ore at high solid/liquid ratio( 60-
70%) in presence of a fatty acid collector (such as oleic acid or sodium
oleate) and a neutral oil such as kerosene or fuel oil at PH 9
▪ oil → to help dispersion
▪ sodium silicate is added to help depression of silica and silicates

37
 2. Flotation at about 30% solids where phosphates minerals are floated, and
silica and silicates are depressed. The adsorption of oleate ions phosphate
minerals is mainly chemical nature(involve chemical bonds)
Fig 1 Neutral oil

Hydrocarbon
chain of oleate
ion

Phosphate mineral apatite Polar group of

oleate ion
Chemical bond between phosphate
surface and polar group of oleate ion

3. the phosphate concentrate may be still having some silica which must be
removed. it removed in a cleaning stage to float silica and depress
phosphate minerals.
The collector (oleate ion) must be removed from the surface of phosphate
minerals before the cleaning stage.
Hence phosphate concentrates are scrubbed at pH 4 in presence of H2SO4.
The oleate ion hydrolyzed into oleic acid which floats on the surface as oily
phase OI + H+ → HOI (oil)

4. After removing the oleic acid, the phosphate concentrate is conditioned at

about PH 6-7 with cationic collector (Amines RNH3CL). Since silica is
negatively charged at this PH, RNH3t ions will be adsorbed onto its surface
and will therefore float fig.2.

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• calcareous phosphate ores
gangue → calcite (CaCO3), dolomite (CoMgCO3)

➢ Techniques of upgrading.
❖ Main technique (calcination)
The phosphate ore is heated to 950-1000oC where the carbonates
are dissociated according to the following reaction
CaCO3 (900-1000oC) → CaO +CO2
2(Ca, Mg) CO3 → MgO + CaO + 2CO2
The calcined phosphate is then quenched in water where MgO and
Cao transferred into hydroxides Ca(OH)2 , Mg(OH)2 which appear as
fine suspension in water and can be removed by decantation.

▪ the disadvantage of calcination:

1. the high capital cost of calcination plants.
2. the high cost of fuels necessary for calcination.
3. Difficulty of removing MgO from calcined dolomitic phosphate.

❖ Flotation:
The difficulty of removing carbonates from phosphates is due to that
physicochemical properties for the two minerals are similar. By using
suitable collector, the surface properties of carbonates can be
changed and may be floated from phosphate minerals.
1. use sodium oleate as collector for CaCO3 Calcite and sodium
metasilicate as depressant for apatite at PH 10.
Or use disodium dodecyl phosphate as collector for calcite and
sodium bicarbonates as depressant for apatite
2. use oleic acid as collector for dolomite and use phosphate acid as
depressant for apatite

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• use of phosphate concentrate Ca3(Po4)2
➢ 80% → to make phosphoric acid by dissolving with H2SO4
➢ 20% → in phosphorus industry phosphate ore + H2SO4 → phosphoric +
gypsum

▪ To reduce consumption of H2SO4 and gypsum,

P2O5 > 31%, Cao / P2O5 ratio < 1.6
▪ High percentage of CaCO3 lead to high consumption of H2SO4 and
gypsum produced in large quantities. High CaMgCO3 cause the same
problems and also magnesium phosphate precipitates which

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