Study on the surface activation of ilmenite by persulfate and flotation response

In this study, an innovative method was proposed to treat ilmenite by using sodium persulfate (Na 2 S 2 O 8 ) as a surface activator to enhance the flotation of ilmenite. The action mechanism of Na 2 S 2 O 8 on the ilmenite surface was investigated by micro-flotation, adsorption tests, powder contact angle, zeta potential detection, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. Micro-flotation experiments showed that recovery of the ilmenite was effectively enhanced in the pH range of 4.0 ∼ 10.0 by adding Na 2 S 2 O 8 . The adsorption tests illustrated that the introduction of Na 2 S 2 O 8 effectively enhanced the adsorption of NaOL on the surface of ilmenite. The powder contact angle tests presented that the contact angle of samples increased after treatment with Na 2 S 2 O 8 and NaOL. The zeta potential testing results showed that surface potential of the ilmenite treated with Na 2 S 2 O 8 and NaOL was negatively migrated in the pH ranging from 3.5 to 10.0, revealing that the mineral surface adsorbed more oleic acid anions. FT-IR analyses suggested that the chemical adsorption of oleic acid on the surface of ilmenite was enhanced after treating with Na 2 S 2 O 8 . XPS analyses revealed that the addition of Na 2 S 2 O 8 induced a transformation of Fe (+Ⅱ) into Fe (+Ⅲ) and enhanced adsorption of NaOL on the ilmenite surface. A reaction model of Na 2 S 2 O 8 interacting with the surface of ilmenite was proposed to interpret the activation mechanisms.