Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B03—SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATIC TABLES OR JIGS; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROM SOLID MATERIALS OR FLUIDS; SEPARATION BY HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELDS
  • B03D—FLOTATION; DIFFERENTIAL SEDIMENTATION
  • B03D1/00—Flotation
  • B03D1/001—Flotation agents
  • B03D1/004—Organic compounds
  • B03D1/012—Organic compounds containing sulfur
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B03—SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATIC TABLES OR JIGS; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROM SOLID MATERIALS OR FLUIDS; SEPARATION BY HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELDS
  • B03D—FLOTATION; DIFFERENTIAL SEDIMENTATION
  • B03D1/00—Flotation
  • B03D1/001—Flotation agents
  • B03D1/002—Inorganic compounds
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B03—SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATIC TABLES OR JIGS; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROM SOLID MATERIALS OR FLUIDS; SEPARATION BY HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELDS
  • B03D—FLOTATION; DIFFERENTIAL SEDIMENTATION
  • B03D1/00—Flotation
  • B03D1/001—Flotation agents
  • B03D1/018—Mixtures of inorganic and organic compounds
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B03—SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATIC TABLES OR JIGS; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROM SOLID MATERIALS OR FLUIDS; SEPARATION BY HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELDS
  • B03D—FLOTATION; DIFFERENTIAL SEDIMENTATION
  • B03D1/00—Flotation
  • B03D1/02—Froth-flotation processes
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B03—SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATIC TABLES OR JIGS; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROM SOLID MATERIALS OR FLUIDS; SEPARATION BY HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELDS
  • B03D—FLOTATION; DIFFERENTIAL SEDIMENTATION
  • B03D2201/00—Specified effects produced by the flotation agents
  • B03D2201/02—Collectors
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B03—SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATIC TABLES OR JIGS; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROM SOLID MATERIALS OR FLUIDS; SEPARATION BY HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELDS
  • B03D—FLOTATION; DIFFERENTIAL SEDIMENTATION
  • B03D2203/00—Specified materials treated by the flotation agents; specified applications
  • B03D2203/02—Ores

Definitions

• This invention relates to the beneficiation of iron ores by froth flotation.
• iron ores have presented a very serious problem to the ore dressing engineer.
• collectors for example, of the fatty acid type which will float iron ore, but the mere flotation is not sufficient.
• the ore commands so low a price and the requirements for grade are so high that the ordinary froth flotation process with anionic collectors will not give results which are commercially useful.
• iron ore can be effectively beneficiated by acid treatments under specified conditions with sulfonated promoters obtained by sulfonating the residues from the refining of glyceride oils or fatty acids.
• These residues are of two general types, the so-called foots, which are products that settle out in the refining of oils by chemical means, and the pitches or still bottoms which are residues from the refining of fatty acids by distillation.
• These residues are characterized by a definite but relatively low fatty acid content associated with other organic material such as glyceride oils, proteinaceous material, neutral oils, and the like.
• the distillation residues in addition, contain many products of partial decomposition such as carbon, cracked glyceride oils and other products.
• the chemical composition of these residues is not constant and is not completely known as they are a mixture of a large number of impure compounds.
• the general characteristic is a relatively low fatty acid content, the fatty acid bein much lower than ordinary fatty acids or acid oils and, in many cases, is only a minor constituent, particularly in the case of distillation residues.
• the iron ore When the iron ore is conditioned at high solids, preferably 60-70%, with a strong acid having a dissociation constant greater than 10- in sufficient quantities so that when diluted to froth flotation density without neutralization, a pH of 1.5-5.5 is obtained, the ore can be floated with the sulfonated residues from the refining of glyceride oils and fatty acids to produce concentrates of satisfacory iron content with high recoveries.
• sulfonated is used in its general sense to describe a product obtained by the chemical reaction of sulfuric acid or other sulfonating agents such as chlorsulfonic acid with the residue. This produces, normally, a mixture of sulfonates and other acid sulfur containing compounds such as sulfonated compounds where double bonds are present. It is not intended to be used in a narrow sense that all of the sulfur containing compounds are true sulfonic acids or salts thereof.
• the acid used in the treatment is not critical. Many strong acids which do not have an anion that adversely affects flotation, may be used. Acids weaker than those having a dissociation constant of 10- are not suitable.
• the amount of acids to be used will vary with dilferent acids and to some extent with different iron ores. In every case suflicient acid must be used to produce enough free hydrogen ions so that on dilution to froth flotation pulp density a pH of from 1.5- 5.5 results. In general, larger amounts of acids produce high grade but a falling 01f in recovery while smaller amounts produce falling oil in grade and sometimes also in recovery.
• the conditioning itself is at high solids but in practice the acid concentration generally is determined by measurement after dilution to flotation pulp density.
• the amount of the collector used is not critical and in general will Vary from amounts somewhat less than 1 lb. up to 5 or 6 lbs. per ton of ore. In some cases where the residue is very low grade larger amounts may be necessary up to a maximum of about 10 lbs. The larger amounts are not a serious economic deterrent because of the extremely low price of the residues in normal times, most of them having hardly more than fuel value.
• the amount of oiling depends very largely on the particular collector used and may vary from a small amount up to several pounds per ton. With every reagent combination there is an optimum range of oiling agent. This range is not critical and is not the same with different collectors. In every case, of course, the range for optimum results should be determined with the desired collector, but once determined, no operating difficulties result because the range is broad enough to take care of ordinary fluctuations in operation. The elimination of the necessity for critical control of the operation is an important practical advantage.
• the acid must alter the'surface of the iron oxide particles but the nature of the alteration is not susceptible to exact determination.
• the oiling agents also may perform several functions. It is reasonably assured that one of the main, and, perhaps in most cases, the main function is that of distributing the collector over the iron ore particles. It is probable that in most cases the oiling agent may also beneficially modify the froth. This is directly observed with certain water soluble petroleum sulfonates and may be a factor in many other combinations.
• While conditioning at high solids which is a feature of the present invention, permits using collectors which are not dispersible in water, it is, nevertheless, desirable where possible to use water dispersions.
• some of the collectors may be dispersed in hot water, and these dispersions or solutions make the feeding of the reagent much easier and are preferred where the nature of the collector permits the formation of such dispersions.
• Example A low grade Minnesota iron ore containing about 14.5% Fe was deslimed, conditioned at high solids with sulfuric acid, various sulfonated residues and an unsulfonated mineral oil, dilutecl to froth flotation density and floated.
• the sulfuric acid used was about 2 lbs. per ton with cottonseed still residues and bottoms and also lauric acid residues, 4.0 lbs/ton with cottonseed pitch, 5.0 lbs/ton with wood oil residues, 3.0 lbs/ton in the remainder of the tests.
• the cottonseed still residues used in the first test were sulfonated with 50 parts of 95.5% sulfuric acid per parts residues.
• the second test the second test.
• a method of beneficiating oxidized iron ores by froth flotation which comprises conditioning the ore at high solids with a collector and m sulfuric acid, the amount of the acid being sufficient so that on dilution to froth flotation density without neutralization the pulp will have a pH between 1.5 and 5.5, the effective collecting constituent of the collector being a sulfonated residue from the refining of glyceride oils and Conditioning- 0 oncentrate, gigs/ ⁇ Fay percent, Fe Rough Tailing Sulfonated Product, Type Sulfo- Assay, nated 6 5 Assay Distrib percent pH Product Fe Cottonseed Still Residues 5. 2.83 53.33 82.67 2.81 2.7 Vegetable Pitch 2. 0 4.
• froth flotation operations as this is the most important field in which the process of the invention can be used. It should be understood, however, that the process is also applicable in the case of some collectors to other wet separation processes involving agglomeration, for example, tabling, belt tabling and film flotation. In tabling operations, in general, more oiling agent should be used than in froth flotation.
• oxidized iron ores is used in its commonly accepted meaning to include not only iron oxide ores such as those containing magnetite, hematite, etc., but also hydroxides, carbonates, etc.
• a method of beneficiating oxidized iron ores by froth flotation which comprises conditioning the ore at high solids with a collector and an inorganic acid substance, the anion of which is a constituent of an acid having a dissociation constant of at least 10*", the amount of the acid substance being sufflcient sothat on dilution to froth flotation density without neutralization the pulp will have a pH between 1.5 and 5.5, the efiective collecting constituent of the collector being a sulfonated residue from the refining of fatty acids, the amount of collector being suflicient to permit effective flotation, diluting the 55 3.

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Inorganic Chemistry (AREA)
• Production Of Liquid Hydrocarbon Mixture For Refining Petroleum (AREA)

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Cited By (5)

Citations (11)

• 0
  • LU LU27859D patent/LU27859A1/xx unknown
• 1944
  • 1944-02-14 US US522268A patent/US2461875A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 1945
  • 1945-10-05 FR FR915546D patent/FR915546A/fr not_active Expired

Patent Citations (11)

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