Flotation of Tungsten Ore

The flotation of tungsten ore is conducted at a pulp pH of 9.0-10.5. Soda ash, caustic soda, or sodium silicate may be used for alkalinity control.

The other modifying agents required will depend on the gangue minerals to be depressed. Quebracho or tannin is used to depress the calcite, but an excess will also depress tungsten minerals. Sodium dichromate acidified with sulfuric acid has also been reported as a calcite depressant and copper silicate (sodium silicate and copper sulfate) has been reported as a depressant for fluorite. Figure 8 shows a tungsten flotation flowsheet. The most commonly used tungsten collectors are crude oleid acids or tall oils, or the more refined fatty acids or soaps.

Most tungsten flotation concentrates and some table concentrates are not of sufficiently high grade to meet the exacting specifications of the market. The principal diluents are phosphates and carbonates, which are difficult to depress sufficiently in flotation. The removal of these minerals is most frequently accomplished by leaching the concentrates with hydrochloric acid. Because of the relatively simple equipment required, the trend has been toward leaching at the flotation plant. However, a number of custom leaching plants are equipped to treat flotation concentrates from the smaller concentrators.

 

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