Activation mechanism of tantalum niobium flotation by lead ions in a combined collector flotation system

Abstract

The effect of lead ions on the flotation activation of tantalum niobium ore (TNO) was studied by micro-flotation, adsorption capacity experiments, solution chemical composition calculations, and infrared spectral analysis. The experimental demonstrated that the combined collector of salicylhydroxamic acid (SHA) and ammonium dibutyl dithiophosphate (ADDP) resulted in a strong collection capacity for TNO in the presence of lead ions. The solution chemistry calculations determined that the dominant source of lead ions in the aqueous solution was Pb(OH)+ at a pH of 8, which was conducive to the adsorption and interaction of SHA and ADDP anions. In the lead ion activation system, the combined reagent co-adsorbed onto the TNO surface, causing a large negative shift in the zeta potential. The co-adsorption mechanism of the combined collector consisted of complex chemisorption between SHA and the TNO surface active particles, while the main adsorption of ADDP is physisorption.