Reverse froth flotation separation of limonite and quartz with cationic gemini surfactant

In this paper, a cationic gemini surfactant ethane-1,2-dodecyldimethylammonium bromide (EDDA) was synthesized and used as a novel collector for the reverse froth flotation of limonite and quartz. According to the pure mineral flotation results, EDDA has good floatation ability and selectivity to quartz over the entire pH range of the slurry and is significantly more effective than dodecylamine (DDA). The experimental results of artificial mixed minerals show that EDDA can achieve high-efficiency separation of limonite and quartz without adding depressant. When the slurry is at natural pH (7–8) and EDDA is 1 × 10-5 mol/L, the concentrate with iron recovery of 86.14% and iron grade of 59.53% can be obtained. The zeta potential measurement shows that the EDDA has a significant effect on the potential of quartz. The results of FT-IR analysis confirmed the physical adsorption between EDDA and quartz. The agent preferentially modifies the quartz surface, improves the hydrophobicity of the quartz, and realizes the effective separation of limonite and quartz. © 2022