A family of amine mining collectors that uses alkoxylates allows for the easy adjustment of solubility and molecular weight useful because anionic and cationic mineral collectors require such varying degrees of solubility and molecular weight. The family of the present invention allows for the optimization of both parameters and an increase in collector efficiency.

The present invention provides improved methods for purifying and/or removing oily particles, and/or contaminants suspended or dissolved in water. In particular the process relates to an additive composition that has the appropriate surfactant characteristics for effectively removing an oil phase from an oil/aqueous mixed phase via foam fractionation. According to the invention, a hydrophobically modified polymer that acts as an associative thickener is combined with surfactant in appropriate ratios to facilitate oil removal for water purification in any of a number of commercial, environmental and industrial applications.

Disclosed herein are compositions and methods for lithium ore beneficiation. The methods and compositions are suitable for use in froth flotation of lithium ore sources. The methods include combining a lithium ore source, a water source, and a collector composition to form a lithium beneficiation slurry; sparging the lithium beneficiation slurry; separating the sparged lithium beneficiation slurry to form a lithium beneficiary and a gangue; and collecting the lithium beneficiary, where the collector includes a C10 to C28 hydroxycarboxylic acid, a surfactant, and a solvent. The collectors obtain high yield of lithium and excellent selectivity for lithium species in the froth flotation of lithium ores.

Disclosed herein are compositions and methods for lithium ore beneficiation. The methods and compositions are suitable for use in flotation of lithium ore sources such as pegmatite, Zinnwaldite, Jadarite, or lithium mica. The methods include combining a lithium ore source, a water source, a collector, and optionally a frother to form a lithium beneficiation slurry; sparging the lithium beneficiation slurry; separating the sparged lithium beneficiation slurry to form a lithium beneficiary and a gangue; and collecting the lithium beneficiary, where the collector includes an oleic acid source, a hydroxycarboxylic acid, and a surfactant. The collectors obtain improved performance in terms of purity of lithium recovered from the ore, as a function of percent lithium recovery.

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a concentrate enriched in iron mineral content from an ore, which contains an iron mineral and silicate, by a reverse flotation, which method comprises the step of (c) adding a collector composition comprising (i) an amidoamine, which contains a compound of formula I

##STR00001## or a salt of a protonated compound of formula I and an anion; (ii) an ethoxylate, which contains a compound of formula II

R.sup.EO(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.nH(II), wherein R.sup.E is a linear or mono-branched aliphatic C.sub.10-C.sub.20 alkyl or a linear aliphatic C.sub.10-C.sub.20 alkenyl, and n is an integer from 1 to 12,
to a prepared aqueous pulp of the ore and optionally one or more flotation auxiliary to obtain an aqueous mixture. Furthermore, the use of the collector composition as a flotation collector is described and the collector composition itself

The present invention relates to a process to treat magnetite ore containing less than 15 wt % of silica on total ore, the process containing a step of (froth) flotating in the presence of a collector composition that contains 80 to 100 wt % of at least one alkylethermonoamine, less than 20 wt % alkyletherdiamine, all wt % based on total weight of all amine components, and wherein the alkylethermonoamine is an alkylethermonoamine with a degree of branching higher than 1, the alkyl containing 11 to 17 carbon atoms, and further relates to the collector composition that can be used in the process.

A family of amine mining collectors that uses alkoxylates allows for the easy adjustment of solubility and molecular weight useful because anionic and cationic mineral collectors require such varying degrees of solubility and molecular weight. The family of the present invention allows for the optimization of both parameters and an increase in collector efficiency.

The present invention provides improved methods for purifying and/or removing oily particles, and/or contaminants suspended or dissolved in water. In particular the process relates to an additive composition that has the appropriate surfactant characteristics for effectively removing an oil phase from an oil/aqueous mixed phase via foam fractionation. According to the invention, a hydrophobically modified polymer that acts as an associative thickener is combined with surfactant in appropriate ratios to facilitate oil removal for water purification in any of a number of commercial, environmental and industrial applications.

The present invention is directed to methods that can be used in the enrichment of metal sulfide ores in desired minerals in cases where the ores have sulfide-containing gangues. The method involves adding an oxidant to slurries prepared from the ores during, or immediately prior to froth flotation.

The present invention provides improved methods for purifying and/or removing multiply charged cations and suspended solids from water. In particular the process relates to an additive composition that has the appropriate surfactant characteristics for effectively removing multiply charged cations and suspended solids from an aqueous or oil/aqueous mixed phase via foam fractionation. According to the invention, a hydrophobically modified polymer that acts as an associative thickener is used in the presence of a source of alkalinity or anionic reactant as well as surfactant in appropriate ratios to facilitate multiply charged cation and suspended solids removal for water purification in any of a number of commercial, environmental and industrial applications.