SELECTIVE AGGREGATION OF ULTRAFINE HEMATITE AND QUARTZ UNDER HIGH-SHEAR CONDITIONS WITH CONVENTIONAL FLOTATION COLLECTORS

Recovery of ultrafine minerals, of less than 10 microns in size, remai ns one of the most difficult problems faced by the minerals engineer. Shear flocculation is one technique that can be applied to minerals in this size range. The technique involves aggregating mineral particles , made hydrophobic with flotation collectors, under high shear conditi ons. The work presented considers the use of primary aliphatic amines and sodium oleate for the selective aggregation of hematite and quartz . Sodium oleate was shown to offer potential for selective aggregation of hematite whereas the amines tested could not provide the desired s electivity. Factors that affect the size of the aggregates formed were investigated. Collector concentration and pH were found to be the mos t important with each system tested.