The article presents the results of the VNII Galurgii’s studies into development of reagent regimes for flotation of potash ores of the Upper Kama deposit in fat solutions of potassium and sodium chlorides. The influence of the temperature of the saline solution and the content of magnesium chloride in it on the efficiency of aliphatic amines—collector of sylvin—was investigated. An alternative ethoxylated sludge collector for flotation de-sludging of potash ores is tested. The effect of a modified sludge depressant obtained by the synthesis of urea and formaldehyde is studied. The developed reagents are tested in full-scale processing of potash ore with variable composition and an increased content of sludge-forming silicate-carbonate and anhydrite water-insoluble impurities have been carried out. It is shown that the process stability and the production performance improve. Application of the sludge depressant in flotation of potash ore of variable composition allows stabilization of sylvin flotation and reduction in potassium chloride loss owing to stimulation of potassium chloride flotation from coarse tailings, which enables the decrease in the sylvin collector consumption and favors improvement of the process performance.
Potassium ore contains readily sludgable water-insoluble silicate–carbonate impurities which actively adsorb cation collectors (primary alkylamines) used in sylvine flotation. This fact determines inclusion of multistage de-sludging flowsheets, with rougher and cleaning flotation of sludge in the processing technology. A prerequisite for flotation de-sludging of ore is pre-flocculation of sludge. Flotation of sludge in mechanical flotation machines is carried out with intensive mechanical stirring of the suspension, which impairs the selective separation of sludge into the flotation froth and leads to the partial destruction of sludge floccules, which causes an increased consumption of the flocculant. In column machines, flotation is carried out in a laminar-upward flow of finely dispersed air bubbles ejected into the suspension in the lower part of the column, and is characterized by the minimal hydromechanical effect on the mineral particle–air bubble attachment. An important feature of flotation in column machines is the adjustability of the foam layer height in a wide range of values (up to 0.5 m and more) and its washability, which makes it possible to increase the recovery selectivity of the floated material into the foam product. The design of column machines for enrichment of potash ores, which are water-soluble and floatable in rich salt solutions, should ensure elimination of crystallization of the aeration system for supplying air to the column machine. The tests of column flotation of sludge produced from potash ores of the Upper Kama deposit with different contents of water-insoluble impurities were carried out on the experimental installation of ERIEZ Flotation Division. The results of the comparison of flotation efficiency and selectivity in mechanical and column flotation machines are presented. The possibility of de-sludge flotation of potash ores with different contents of water-insoluble impurities (1.5–4%) with the significant improvement of flotation selectivity at the lower consumption of reagents is shown. The use of column flotation creates conditions for simplifying the instrumental and technological flowsheet of flotation.
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