| Abstract: | The floatation of the minerals diaspore and kaolinite was investigated using dodecylamine as the collector.Separating diaspore and kaolinite in a neutral pH pulp is difficult since they then have similar floatability.A depressor consisting of an AlCl3/Na2SiO3 mixture is demonstrated to solve this problem.Diaspore sinking may be seen when the ratio of AlCl3 to Na2SiO3 is 3.1.We refer to this mixture as ATNO.The influence of Al/Si ratio in the feedstock and the grain size of fed minerals on separation was examined.An Al/Si ratio in the concentrate greater than 11 may be obtained when the Al/Si ratio of the feed is between 2.53 and 4.96.However,the grain size of the diaspore greatly influences the concentrate grade.Finer grain size of the diaspore (＜40 μm)in pulp makes the flotation separation less than ideal,no matter what the kaolinite grain size. |
