A novel cationic collector for silicon removal from collophane using reverse flotation under acidic conditions

We analyzed a novel cationic collector using chemical plant byproducts, such as cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP). Our aim is to establish a highly effective and economical process for the removal of quartz from collophane. A micro-flotation test with a 25 mg·L −1 collector at pH value of 6–10 demonstrates a considerable difference in the floatability of pure quartz and fluorapatite. Flotation tests for a collophane sample subjected to the first reverse flotation for magnesium removal demonstrates that a rough flotation process (using a 0.4 kg·t −1 new collector at pH = 6) results in a collophane concentrate with 29.33wt% P 2 O 5 grade and 12.66wt% SiO 2 at a 79.69wt% P 2 O 5 recovery, providing desirable results. Mechanism studies using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, zeta potential, and contact angle measurements show that the adsorption capacity of the new collector for quartz is higher than that for fluorapatite. The synergistic effect of DBP increases the difference in hydrophobicity between quartz and fluorapatite. The maximum defoaming rate of the novel cationic collector reaches 142.8 mL·min −1 . This is considerably higher than that of a conventional cationic collector.