Low temperature beneficiation is a technique for selectively separating and concentrating minerals. One of its advantages is the use of oleic acid as a selective flotation agent. The use of oleic acid as a selective flotation agent at low temperatures can bring several advantages.
Oleic acid has better flotation effect than other selective flotation agents. At low temperatures, oleic acid can selectively bind to mineral surfaces, making it easier for minerals containing the target to be separated. Moreover, oleic acid has less effect on other minerals and can avoid bringing excess minerals into the flotation fluid. This selectivity greatly improves the efficiency and accuracy of low temperature beneficiation.
The use of oleic acid flotation at low temperature can reduce the oxidation and dissolution of mineral surface. At high temperature, oxide and hydrolytic products are easily produced on the surface of minerals, which reduces the adsorption force on the surface of minerals, thus affecting the flotation effect. At low temperature, selective flotation of oleic acid can avoid this phenomenon and ensure the stability of flotation process.
The use of oleic acid at low temperatures can reduce environmental pollution. Oleic acid is a natural organic matter, compared with other flotation agents (such as cyanide, etc.), oleic acid has lower toxicity and better biodegradation. At the same time, under low temperature conditions, the volatility of oleic acid is also relatively low, which can reduce the release of pollutants in the air.
It greatly improves the efficiency and accuracy of low temperature beneficiation, ensures the stability of flotation process, and also reduces environmental pollution. In the practical application of low temperature mineral processing, oleic acid as a selective flotation agent has great potential and is expected to become the key technology of green sustainable development of low temperature mineral processing.
