Disclosed are a slow-release inhibitor for high-magnesium sulfide mineral flotation and an application thereof, where the inhibitor is a nano colloidal particle of an alkaline earth fluoride such as CaF.sub.2 and BaF.sub.2 or a highly-reactive natural alkaline earth metal mineral powder. When applied to the flotation separation of a high-magnesium sulfide ore, the inhibitor can slowly release F ions to preferentially form a MgF.sub.2 layer on the magnesium-containing mineral surface, which provides a structure similar to MgF.sub.2 on a surface of oxidized gangue minerals such as magnesium oxide, changing surface electrical property of the magnesium-containing mineral, inhibiting heterogeneous coagulation of magnesium-containing minerals and sulfide ores due to electrostatic attraction and reducing entrainment, enveloping and agglomeration of gangue minerals to efficiently inhibit the flotation of oxidized gangue minerals such as magnesium oxide.

This proposed invention consists of a process for elaborating a depressant agent, which includes, by weight percentage, dissolving 1-40% humic acid, or humic acid derivatives, in 50-99% water at a temperature between 15-30° C. and solubilizing it by adding 0-10% potassium hydroxide; the temperature will rise due to the solvation of potassium hydroxide (30-45° C.); leaving to react and homogenize for 20-60 minutes; causing the latter product to react with 0.1-15% of fulvic acid to generate a product that controls zinc and iron during flotation. The purpose of this invention is to fully replace zinc sulfate, reducing the dosage of the replacement depressant agent by up to 20 times less, furthermore reducing the amount of CuSO.sub.4 used in the flotation process, among other improvements.

This invention relates to use of a water-miscible polyhydric alcohol having two or three hydroxyl groups for improving the collector performance of a collector composition for the reverse iron ore flotation comprising at least one alkyl ether amine of formula (I) and/or alkyl ether diamine of formula (II)

R.sup.1—(O-A)-NH.sub.2  (I)

R.sup.2—(O-A)-NH—R.sup.3—NH.sub.2  (II)

wherein
R.sup.1 is a hydrocarbyl group with 6 to 24 carbon atoms,
R.sup.2 is a hydrocarbyl group with 6 to 24 carbon atoms,
R.sup.3 is an aliphatic hydrocarbyl group with 2 to 4 carbon atoms
A is an alkylene group with 2 to 6 carbon atoms.

A magnesium suppressant/flocculant for use in separating dolomite from calcium phosphate. The magnesium suppressant/flocculant may be applied at a mine site prior to subjecting ore fractions to phosphate flotation or at a chemical plant after grinding.

The object of this invention is to provide a method of mineral flotation using bioreagents extracted from Gram positive bacteria Rhodococcus opacus and Rhodococcus erythropolis. In this sense, mineral floatability was evaluated using bioreagent extracted from Gram positive bacteria to determine its potential as an alternative to synthetic reagents and also an alternative to the use of microorganisms themselves (biomass).

Method for removing arsenic mineral from a lead concentrate by reverse flotation with an ozone pre-treatment. The method comprises the steps of: receiving a slurry of the lead concentrate that has previously undergone flotation processes, bubbling ozone into the slurry of the lead concentrate to remove reagents used in previous flotation processes, adding a sulfide salt to the slurry to depress lead mineral, adding an alkali to increase the pH of the slurry, adding a collector and then a frother to the slurry for a reverse flotation processing and floating the arsenic mineral out of the lead mineral to obtain a now-purified lead concentrate.

Disclosed are a slow-release inhibitor for high-magnesium sulfide mineral flotation and an application thereof, where the inhibitor is a nano colloidal particle of an alkaline earth fluoride such as CaF.sub.2 and BaF.sub.2 or a highly-reactive natural alkaline earth metal mineral powder. When applied to the flotation separation of a high-magnesium sulfide ore, the inhibitor can slowly release F ions to preferentially form a MgF.sub.2 layer on the magnesium-containing mineral surface, which provides a structure similar to MgF.sub.2 on a surface of oxidized gangue minerals such as magnesium oxide, changing surface electrical property of the magnesium-containing mineral, inhibiting heterogeneous coagulation of magnesium-containing minerals and sulfide ores due to electrostatic attraction and reducing entrainment, enveloping and agglomeration of gangue minerals to efficiently inhibit the flotation of oxidized gangue minerals such as magnesium oxide.

Improved sparge compositions for reverse froth flotation separation and uses thereof, and improved methods of reverse froth flotation are described. Described are sparge compositions comprising collectors and beneficiating agents, the collectors comprising sulfonated fatty acids and/or salts thereof, and the beneficiating agents comprising a hydroxy fatty acid composition. The sparge compositions are suitably used in the reverse froth flotation to separate phosphate beneficiary from ores comprising phosphate and dolomite, calcite, silicate, and/or other gangues. The disclosed compositions and methods exhibit improved separation of phosphate from such ores.

Methods for preparing agglomerated hemicellulose compositions are provided. Agglomerated hemicellulose compositions comprising agglomerates are also provided herein. Also disclosed are processes for enriching a desired mineral from an ore comprising the desired mineral, wherein the process comprises carrying out a flotation process in the presence of one or more collecting agents and a depressant composition comprising an agglomerated hemicellulose composition.

A method of depressing copper sulfides and iron sulfides in a molybdenite flotation recovery process that uses alkaline or alkaline earth polysulfides. The method of enriching molybdenite content from a slurry having molybdenite and at least one of iron sulfides and copper sulfides can include the steps of adding an effective amount of a depressing reagent selected from one or more alkaline polysulfides, alkaline earth polysulfides, or a mixture thereof, to the slurry, wherein the pH of the slurry is greater than about 8.0; and passing a gas through the slurry to separate material by selective flotation, and recovering the molybdenite from a froth.