Tungsten Ore Flotation Inhibitor – Sodium Fluosilicate

Inhibitor is also called retarder. It can block or reduce the rate of chemical reaction of the material, which is the same with the negative catalyst. Tungsten ore flotation inhibitor is divided into organic inhibitor and inorganic inhibitor. 

Sodium silicate, metal ion combining sodium silicate, ammonium salt combining sodium silicate, sodium fluorosilicate, pyrophosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate and phosphorous acid are common seen inorganic inhibitor. They all have their advantages.

Sodium fluosilicate is used for construction industry, chemical formula is Na2SiF6, is white particle or crystalline powder. It is a kind of complexation halogen acid, insoluble in water, is often configured to 0.5% solution or add solid into ball mill, it is corrosive and toxic.

During tungsten ore flotation process, sodium fluosilicate is used to inhibit gangues like quartz, feldspar and fluorite. When using heating flotation method to deal with tungsten scheelite, use oleic acid as collecting agent, sodium fluosilicate as inhibitor, deal it in primary when temperature is 80℃ and reacting time is 20~30min. During processing process, quartz, feldspar, calcite, mica, fluorite are inhibited by sodium fluosilicate and remained in tank. After selectivity, coarse tungsten concentrate is obtained with WO3 content 25%~28%, recovery rate is 85%~92%.

Heating flotation method principle is the selective solubility of mineral under high temperature, agent will fall from surface of minerals. It is found that sodium fluosilicate can desorb fatty acid from the surface of mineral primarily, but fatty acid will attach firmly on the surface of scheelite, so flotation speed of scheelite is faster than gangue.

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