Brian E Ball

US Patent:

43660509, Dec 28, 1982

Filed:

Jan 19, 1981

Appl. No.:

6/225911

Inventors:

Eric J. Olin - Arvada CO
Harry B. Carson - Golden CO
Brian Ball - Golden CO

Assignee:

Amax Inc. - Greenwich CT

International Classification:

B03D 114

US Classification:

209167

Abstract:

A scheelite concentrate is recovered from a scheelite ore containing silicate minerals and other calcareous minerals by froth flotation which process comprises grinding the ore sufficiently fine to liberate the scheelite grains, pulping the gound ore with water to form a slurry containing between about 20% and about 40% solids by weight, sequentially conditioning the slurry with at least one alkali metal carbonate in small but effective amounts to provide an alkaline pH adjustment and a source of carbonate ions, with small but effective amount of alkali metal silicates to depress siliceous and calcareous gangue minerals other than scheelite and with a fatty acid collector in small but effective amounts to coat the scheelite grains, the conditioning with the fatty acid collector being conducted with sufficient agitation to disintegrate floccules of scheelite, silicate mineral and other calcareous mineral grains and to preferentially reflocculate the scheelite grains for a period of time sufficient to produce upon flotation a concentrate having a grade of at least about 50% WO. sub. 3, adding a frother to the collector conditioned slurry and subjecting the collector conditioned slurry to froth flotation to recover the froth product a scheelite concentration having a grade of at least about 50% WO. sub. 3.