Study on the flotation behavior and interaction mechanism of ilmenite with mixed BHA/NaOL collector

The mixed BHA/NaOL collector was studied to improve the floatability of ilmenite in the presence of lead ions. The mechanism was discussed through surface tension measurements, zeta potential measurements, adsorption amount measurements, and XPS analysis. Microflotation results show that the mixed BHA/NaOL collector exhibited a better performance on the floatability of ilmenite than single BHA and NaOL collector. The recovery of ilmenite was 92.9% when the molar ratio of BHA/NaOL was set to 7:3. The adsorption amount of mixed collectors on the ilmenite surface was greater than that of equivalent single BHA and NaOL. The results of surface tension suggest that there was synergism between BHA and NaOL in aqueous solution. Zeta potential results indicate that mixed BHA/NaOL adsorbed onto ilmenite surface and had a more negative shift than single BHA. XPS results further confirm that BHA and NaOL adsorbed onto the ilmenite surface through chemisorption and hydrogen bonds.