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US 2024/0359190 A1Published application
Methods for Pollucite Flotation, Plagioclase Flotation, and Quartz Purification
OwnerYongmei Jiao, Claude Deveauinventors
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Abstract
Described herein is a method for the recovery of two major valuable lithium minerals (amblygonite and spodumene), a cesium mineral (pollucite) and quartz. The method comprises a series of direct flotation processes combined with reverse flotation processes that were designed to recover these lithium and cesium concentrates.
Claims21
A method of floating pollucite comprising:
- providing a quantity of mineral tailings comprising plagioclase, pollucite and quartz;
- subjecting the quantity of mineral tailings to flotation conditions comprising TM2 and NH4F at a ratio of about 1 part TM2 to about 2.3 parts NH4F at a pH of about 2, wherein TM2 comprises about 1 part sodium sulfonate and about two parts tallowamineacetate, thereby separating the plagioclase from the pollucite and the quartz,
- recovering the plagioclase;
- subjecting the pollucite and quartz to flotation conditions comprising TM2 and NH4F at a ratio of about 1 part TM2 to about 2.3 parts NH4F at a pH of about 2.35 to about 2.8, thereby separating the pollucite from the quartz, and
- recovering the pollucite.
2 more elements
A method of recovering pollucite from mineral tailings comprising:
- a) providing a quantity of mineral tailings comprising amblygonite, spodumene, mica, feldspar, plagioclase, pollucite and quartz;
- b) subjecting the quantity of mineral tailings to flotation conditions comprising an amblygonite collector at a pH of about 9 to about 9.3, thereby separating the mineral tailings into separated amblygonite and mineral tailings comprising spodumene, mica, feldspar, plagioclase, pollucite and quartz;
- c) recovering the amblygonite;
- d) subjecting the mineral tailings comprising spodumene, mica, feldspar, plagioclase, pollucite and quartz to flotation conditions comprising a spodumene collector at a pH of about 9 to about 9.3, thereby separating the mineral tailings into separated spodumene and mineral tailings comprising mica, feldspar, plagioclase, pollucite and quartz;
- e) recovering the floated spodumene;
- f) subjecting the mineral tailings comprising mica, feldspar, plagioclase, pollucite and quartz to flotation conditions comprising a mica collector at a pH of about 2.26 to about 2.3, thereby separating the mineral tailings into separated mica and mineral tailings comprising feldspar, plagioclase, pollucite and quartz;
- g) recovering the floated mica;
- h) subjecting the mineral tailings comprising feldspar, plagioclase, pollucite and quartz to flotation conditions comprising a feldspar collector at a pH of about 2.1 to about 2.2, thereby separating the mineral tailings into separated feldspar and mineral tailings comprising plagioclase, pollucite and quartz;
- i) recovering the floated feldspar
- j) subjecting the quantity of mineral tailings comprising plagioclase, pollucite and quartz to flotation conditions comprising TM2 and NH4F at a ratio of about 1 part TM2 to about 2.3 parts NH4F at a pH of about 2, wherein TM2 comprises about 1 part sodium sulfonate and about two parts tallowamineacetate, thereby separating the mineral tailings into separated plagioclase and mineral tailings comprising pollucite and quartz;
- k) recovering the floated plagioclase;
- l) subjecting the quantity of mineral tailings comprising pollucite and quartz to flotation conditions comprising TM2 and NH4F at a ratio of about 1 part TM2 to about 2.3 parts NH4F at a pH of about 2.35 to about 2.8, thereby separating the mineral tailings into separated pollucite and quartz;
- and
- m) recovering the floated pollucite.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.