A method is provided for using flotation techniques for separating rare earth metal compounds from bastnaesite ore. The method can include grinding the ore to obtain an aqueous slurry of particles, adding a depressant agent to the slurry and adjusting the pH to a suitable value for the flotation process, adding a collector mixture to the slurry that includes at least one hydroxamic acid, and adding a frother agent to the slurry, followed by subjecting the slurry to froth flotation.

The disclosure relates to a method for the beneficiation of an ore in a froth flotation process. The method comprises contacting an ore in a liquid medium to a collector composition comprising a plant-derived liquid decarboxylated rosin acid (DCR) collector. The DCR comprises 40 to 100 wt. % of tricyclic compounds having 18-20 carbon atoms, one or more C═C groups, and m/z (mass/charge) value of 220-280. The DCR has an oxygen content of <5%, a density of 0.9 to 1.0 g/cm.sup.3 at 20° C., and an acid value of <50 mg KOH/g.

The disclosure is directed to a sulfidizing agent obtainable by mixing M.sub.yS.sub.x and ZSH in a weight ratio of from about 90:10 to about 10:90, wherein M is chosen from Li.sup.+, Na.sup.+, K.sup.+, Rb.sup.+, Cs.sup.+, NH.sub.4.sup.+, Mg.sup.2+ and Ca.sup.2+, y is about 1 or about 2, x is from about 1.1 to about 5, and Z is independently chosen from Li.sup.+, Na.sup.+, K.sup.+, Rb.sup.+, Cs.sup.+ and NH.sub.4.sup.+, and a process for using the sulfidizing agent in the recovery of one or more metal ores and/or polymetallic minerals from gangue.

A collector composition suitable for treating non-sulfidic ores comprises (i) from about 1 to 50 wt % of an N acylated amino acid or salt thereof of the structural formula R1-CO—NX—CYH—(CH2)m-COOM (ii) from about 10 to 80 wt % of an alcohol alkoxylate of the formula R2-(AO)n wherein R1 is an alkyl or alkenyl group of 7 to 21 carbon atoms, X is a hydrogen atom or methyl group, Y is a hydrogen atom, a C1-C4 alkyl, a C1-C4 hydroxylalkyl, a C1-C4 carboxyalkyl, or a C1-C4 aminoalkyl group, m is 0 or 1, M is a proton, an alkalimetal cation, or a quaternary ammonium cation, R2 is an alkyl group of 6 to 20 carbon atoms, each AO is independently ethyleneoxy or propyleneoxy, provided that at least part of AO is ethyleneoxy, and n is higher than 2 and up to 25, the wt % based on the total weight of the composition.

The presently claimed invention relates to a process for the beneficiation of coal and other hydrophobic materials, wherein a collector composition comprising by-products obtained by hydroformylation of octene isomers as a first component and diesel, kerosene and/or C.sub.8-C.sub.20 olefins as a second component is used.

The present invention relates to a collector composition for the beneficiation of phosphates from phosphate-containing mineral, their use in flotation processes and to a method for the beneficiation of phosphates using said collector composition.

Methods for niobium concentration from a carbonatite host rock are presented. A basic process for niobium mineral concentration involves performing niobium mineral flotation, on a sufficiently liberated ore slurry, using at one least aromatic hydroxamate collector; and at least one lead salt as a performance modifier. A more optimized process further includes dispersion. A further optimized process includes: magnetic separation, dispersion, sulphide removal, fine suspended particle removal, and niobium cleaner flotation stages. The use of one of number of tested lead salts during flotation improves the yield, and lowers the cost as a significantly lower amount of the collector is required. The process is useful for recovering a variety of species of niobium minerals such as fersmite, pyrochlore, columbite, fergusonite, niobium-containing rutile, and niobium-containing ilmenite.

Described herein are methods for manufacturing a concentrate enriched in iron mineral content from an ore, which contains an iron mineral and silicate, by a reverse flotation. The method includes adding a first amine to a prepared aqueous pulp of the ore and optionally one or more flotation auxiliaries to obtain an aqueous mixture. The first amine (A) may be a compound of formula I

##STR00001##

a salt of a protonated compound of formula I and a first anion or a mixture thereof. A second amine, which is a compound of formula II

##STR00002##

a salt of a protonated compound of formula II and a second anion or a mixture thereof, can be further added. Further described herein are specific compositions of the first amine (A) and the second amine (B) for a use as a flotation collector.

A cold water saponification method is disclosed. The method is for preferred use in industrial applications such as mining operations wherein saponification of fatty acids is required. Broadly, the method comprises the steps of filling a tank with a solution comprising water, a base and fatty acids, installing a mixer capable of creating a vortex in order to effectively saponify fatty acid particles. The use of a high-shear mixer installed vertically has been proven successful in saponifying fatty acids in cold water.

A process or use of at least one hydroxyl ether diamine for improving a process for froth flotation of silicates. Compared to the benchmark ether monoamines, ether diamines or mixtures thereof, the selectivity performance of the hydroxyl ether diamines is significantly better, delivering higher recoveries for the mineral of interest.