Selective adsorption of a novel X-shaped surfactant dioctyl di-hydroxamic acid on fluorite surface leading the effective flotation separation of fluorite from calcite and barite

During fluorite flotation, the separation efficiency of fluorite from barite and calcite was low owing to their similar surface properties, therefore, developing highly selective flotation collector for fluorite is urgently needed. In this study, a novel surfactant, dioctyl di-hydroxamic acid (DODHA), was found as an effective collector for flotation separation of fluorite, calcite, and barite. Results from flotation tests suggested that the effective enrichment of fluorite from calcite and barite could be realized without the addition of depressants. FTIR, zeta potential, and XPS results indicated that the interaction between DODHA and fluorite was strong, whereas the adsorption of DODHA on calcite and barite was negligible. The DFT calculation, surface property, and molecular structure analysis results indicated that the steric hindrance and lattice matching between DODHA and mineral surface determined the superior selectivity of DODHA. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

By developing a novel surfactant DODHA, effective flotation separation of fluorite, calcite, and barite can be achieved with efficient enrichment of fluorite and without the addition of depressants. The strong interaction between DODHA and fluorite, as well as the negligible adsorption on calcite and barite, are key factors in determining the superior selectivity of DODHA.