The Effect of Ca2+ and Mg2+ on the Dispersion and Flocculation Behaviors of Muscovite Particles

The dispersion and flocculation behavior of muscovite suspensions in the presence of Ca2+ and Mg2+ are relevant for industrial processing of pre-concentrated muscovite from stone coal, a primary source of vanadium. In this study, the dispersion and flocculation behavior were investigated by means of sedimentation, zeta potential, and ion absorption experiments, as well as the force between particles and ion speciation calculations. The results indicated that the dispersion and flocculation behavior of muscovite particles without excess ions were in qualitative agreement with the classical DLVO theory. The muscovite particles aggregated mainly due to basal surface-edge interactions in acidic suspensions but were dispersed in alkaline suspension by electrostatic repulsion of the total particle surface. In acidic suspensions, the ability of muscovite to form dispersions of muscovite was increased with the decrease in the electrostatic attraction between the basal surface and the edge caused by the compression of the electric double layers withCa(2+) and Mg2+. In alkaline suspension, the main adsorption form of Ca2+ and Mg2+ on muscovite surface was the ion-hydroxy complexes. The flocculation behavior of muscovite was affected by the static bridge effect of the ion-hydroxy complexes.