Institute of Problems of Integrated Subsoil Development of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia:

V. A. Chanturia, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences
T. N. Matveeva, Senior Researcher
V. V. Getman, Senior Researcher, e-mail: viktoriki.v@gmail.com

In this paper the possibility of applying flocculation of slurry fractions of cassiterite from hardly-enriching tin-containing ores using thermomorphic polymer with a group of phosphine, which can form complex compounds with a tin cation, has been studied. Using the complex of modern physicochemical methods of investigation, the effect of a thermomorphic polymer with a group of 2-(diphenylphosphino) ethylamine on the flotation, sorption and flocculation properties of cassiterite, which is part of hardenriching tin-bearing ores, was studied. By analyzing the residual polymer concentration in the solution using UV-spectrophotometry, selective adsorption of the polymer on cassiterite was established. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the selective interaction of the thermomorphic polymer with cassiterite; the peaks of C, O, and P were fixed on the X-ray spectrum of the region of the neoplasm on the mineral. A thin polymer film was fixed on the Keyence VK-9700 laser microscope. The flocculation of cassiterite in the presence of the thermomorphic polymer was studied using the kinetic photometry method on a “Shimadzu 1700” spectrophotometer. It is shown that the selective concentration of slurry fractions of cassiterite can be observed. Flotation activity of cassiterit  was found to increase when the solution was heated, and in the presence of polymer (40 mg/l), an even higher increase in the cassiterite flotation activity occurred, and preliminary activation of the mineral with copper sulfate promoted an increase in the yield of the mineral to 87%. Applying pre-flocculation using thermomorfic polymers during flotation of tin ores can not only reduce losses of tin with fine grades, but also significantly increase the flotation rate of valuable minerals and technological indicators when enriching difficult-to-digest tin ore.

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