Apatite ores are
the most important phosphate materials used for
the agricultural and livestock chemical production. With the global
demand for phosphorous compounds, apatite and other phosphorus-bearing
ores are being depleted. The main method of apatite ore enrichment
at the moment is the flotation process, the efficiency of which depends
on complex heterogeneous processes occurring at the boundary of three
phases (“liquid–gas”, “solid–liquid”,
and “solid–gas”). Significant influence on the
process have the flotation modes and composition of the reagent mixture,
which provide a synergistic effect. The purpose of this work was to
investigate the reasons for the synergism of surfactants used in apatite
ore flotation with fatty acid-based collectors. The object of the
study is a monomineral fraction of apatite, separated from the apatite-nepheline
ore of Khibiny deposits. In the course of the work, it was found that
the mixture of sodium oleate and phospholane PE65 has a synergistic
effect on the mineral surface of apatite during foam flotation. The
ratio of reagents was determined at which the maximum synergistic
effect was observed.