A new amphoteric collector for separation of spodumene from albite at low temperature and its mechanism

The separation of spodumene and albite by the new collector 12-aminododecanoic acid (12-ADA) without an activator or depressant was investigated by single-mineral and artificially mixed-ore flotation test. The results showed that under the 12-ADA concentration of 314 mg/L, pH 5.0, and 10 °C, the recoveries of spodumene and albite were 12.85 % and 89.15 %, respectively. At the 12-ADA concentration of 114 mg/L, pH 4.5, and 10 ± 2 °C, Li 2 O grade of 4.56 % and recovery of 84.55 % were achieved. In addition, the interaction mechanism between minerals and 12-ADA was investigated. The results showed that 12-ADA could form an association complex, which could create hydrogen bonds with the Si-O bond on the albite surface through NH 2 , and form chemical bonds with Na through COOH. However, 12-ADA mainly adsorbed onto the spodumene surface through electrostatic attraction. With an increase in the concentration of 12-ADA, albite could preferentially adsorb 12-ADA as a monolayer, while the adsorption between spodumene and 12-ADA was small, when 12-ADA exceeded a certain amount, it became prone to multilayer adsorption. 12-ADA overcame the temperature limitation of traditional fatty acid reagents and had potential application value for the flotation of spodumene in cold areas. It also provided a theoretical basis for the research and development of low-temperature reagents for spodumene.