Adsorption of tetradecylamine on quartz and its implication on flotation

The paper in hand deals with the adsorption characteristics of tetradecylamine on quartz surface that was investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy/energydispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) analyses. The spectroscopic data were correlated with adsorption and flotation results. UV–Visible analysis was applied on a clear supernatant solution attained after solid–liquid separation at the end of adsorption, while FTIR and SEM–EDS were implemented to the dried adsorbent quartz. Moreover, in order to collate enough data on carbonate fluorapatite thermal stability with respect to chemical composition and structural parameters, the carbonate fluorapatite ore was subjected to a detailed thermogravimetry/differential scanning Calorimetry (TG-DSC) analysis. The TG-DSC analysis displays an exothermic pic at 700 °C attributed to the decomposition of carbonates, such as dolomite and calcite, and an endothermic pic at 780 °C indicating the beginning of formation of a new phase. The results indicate that the state of adsorbed tetradecylamine at quartz surface varies significantly at weak pH values. The adsorption was found to be prominent within a pH range of 8–8.5. The qualitative adsorption results were validated by quantitative analysis on quartz. The findings revealed better correlations with quartz and fluorapatite flotation tests. The overall results proved that tetradecylamine is an efficient quartz collector with resilient performance.