Mineral/reagent interactions: an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic study of adsorption of reagents onto mixtures of minerals

Reagent-based selective separations of minerals are of great industrial imp ortance. The basis of these separations is the competitive differential ads orption of the reagent onto a number of minerals. An X-ray photoelectron sp ectroscopic (XPS) study of the adsorption of polyacrylamide onto kaolin, fe ldspar and quartz is described. Initial data confirmed the utility of XPS f or the study of polyacrylamide adsorption onto silica glass slides. Further results indicated the utility of the technique for the direct measurement of adsorption of polyacrylamide onto individual aliquots of kaolin, feldspa r and quartz. Adsorption was relatively greatest onto kaolin. Feldspar disp layed less adsorption and quartz very little. An imaging method was used to characterize, at least relatively, the competitive adsorption of polyacryl amide onto kaolin in the presence of mixtures of kaolin and quartz. This is a potential new technique for study of competitive adsorption.