How are impurities in quartz ore separated?

 In the beneficiation of quartz ore, the separation of different mineral components and quartz is an important issue, which has a great influence on the purity of quartz concentrate. Mineral components commonly found in quartz ore include mica, feldspar, iron-bearing minerals, and apatite. In this article we describe how the common mineral components of quartz are separated.

1. Separation of mica minerals from quartz

In quartz ore, after grinding and dissociation, the mica composed of layered structure exposes a large number of anions on the surface, which can be collected by cationic collectors in a wide range of pH values, although mica minerals and feldspar minerals collect The collection properties are similar, but the flotation pH range of mica is wider, so mica minerals can be flotation first under strong acidic conditions.

The reagent system for mica mineral flotation separation is relatively simple. Generally, the slurry concentration can be adjusted to between 30% and 35%. Dilute sulfuric acid is used for slurry adjustment, and amine cationic collectors are used to complete mica, feldspar, and quartz. Separation of minerals.

2. Separation of feldspar minerals from quartz

Quartz and feldspar are both framework silicate minerals, which are similar in nature and structure, and it is difficult to separate them. By using alkali metal ions to adjust the zero-electric point of feldspar, quartz can be effectively separated from feldspar.

Feldspar and quartz separation methods mainly include fluorine flotation and fluorine-free flotation. The fluorine flotation method refers to the preferential flotation of feldspar with cationic collectors under the condition of strong acidity and fluoride ion activation, and the key is to adjust the pH value of the pulp solution. The fluorine-free flotation method is that under strong acid conditions, the anion collector dodecylsulfonate and diamine cationic collector are mixed, and the anion collector is collected with the diamine adsorbed on the surface of feldspar. Agent complexation, the formation of co-adsorption, improve the surface hydrophobicity of feldspar.

3. Separation of iron-bearing minerals and quartz

There are many types of iron-containing minerals in quartz ore, including pyrite, ilmenite, hematite, and magnetite. It exists in various forms, some are attached to the surface of quartz in the form of iron oxide film, some exist in the form of mineral inclusions, and some exist in the interior of quartz lattice or other minerals in a diffuse state. In the process of separating iron-containing minerals and quartz, it is the key to determine the appropriate sorting process to find out the occurrence form of iron impurities and the distribution form in each particle size.

The commonly used method for separating iron minerals is strong magnetic separation, which can remove the iron minerals dissociated from the monomer after grinding. The scrubbing method can also remove the iron oxide film on the surface of the quartz particles. Pickling has a better effect on removing iron minerals. If the iron content requirement is relatively high, use pickling.

4. Separation of apatite mineral from quartz

Phosphorus in quartz ore generally exists in the form of apatite, which can be recovered by fatty acid soap anion collectors, such as sodium oleate, oxidized paraffin soap, tall oil, etc. Since fatty acid collectors have high environmental requirements on water quality and temperature, the hydrophobic surface can be enhanced by adding heavy oil, kerosene and other mineral oils to obtain better collection effects. In addition, modified flotation agents can also be used, which has a good effect on the separation of phosphorus minerals.

The above are the separation methods of the four common mineral components of quartz. In actual production, mineral components are more complex, and the selection of flotation reagents and flotation sequence are the key factors affecting the separation effect. It is necessary to analyze through the mineral processing test, formulate the process plan in a scientific and reasonable way, and avoid the economic benefits of the mineral processing plant from being affected.