FLOTATION MECHANISMS OF BORON MINERALS

The development of reagent strategies for the flotation of boron minerals requires an understanding of flotation chemistry of reagent/mineral interactions. The floatability of a typical boron mineral, colemanite, was investigated in a microflotation cell by using anionic and cationic surfactants as collectors and tannic acid as a depressant. The results obtained with zeta potential measurements together with flotation tests reveal that colemanite is floatable with both anionic and cationic surfactants at its natural pH of 9.3. While the floatability of colemanite with anionic surfactants decreases with increasing pH, that with a cationic surfactant exhibits a maximum at pH 10.2, indicating the major role of electrostatic interactions in the system.