In the flotation system, the mixed use of two or more than two kinds of collectors will produce synergistic effect through the concomitant use with the collector. And in the industry, this kind of tungsten flotation collector is called combined collector. 

Practice proved that the combination of several collectors has a better and more effective flotation effect than the use of a single collector. As for the reason, opinions are widely divided.

 

A big part of the reason for mixing the combined collectors is to let them learn from each others’ strong points and close the gap, which is the mainly action mechanism of combined collectors. In complementary effect, two kinds of collectors that are mixed used can combine their own collector of different minerals, while don’t interact with each other, playing their respective advantages. The combination of two different functional groups’ collector, can be classified into this category. For example, the combination of xanthate which has a strong collection and aerofloat which has strong flotation selectivity can often strengthen the flotation of minerals. Xanthate is a kind of collector that can effectively catch sulfide ore. The independent use of xanthate to collect oxide bearing ore usually will not have ideal effect, but when combined with fatty acid, the recovery effect is improved.

 

Generally received that fatty acid trapping agent has strong collecting ability but poor selectivity, contrary to chelating collector. In practice, researchers often combine these two types of agents. Generally speaking, with a little chelating agent, fatty acid trapping agent will have a better effect on flotation. For example, it is approved in practice that the combinations of 731 + salicylaldoxime, 731 + benzohydroxamic acid and others are nice choices. On the one hand, the combination of these two kinds of collectors can form complementary functions, achieving the best of both worlds. On the other hand, it is usually economical and applicable to reduce the dosage by combining these two kinds of collectors, as they are both expensive.