Flotation Desulfurization of Acidified High-Sulfur Bauxite: Effects of Regulators

摘要

The desulfurization of high-sulfur bauxite via flotation is more difficult than conventional sulphide, since the finely disseminated sulphide in the high-sulfur bauxite can lead to excessive particle entrainment, increase of froth, and low separation efficiency. Acidification of high-sulfur bauxite resulting in changes in mineral surface properties is one of the main reasons for this. Regulators could be used to adjust the mineral surface properties and pulp properties to improve flotation efficiency. The effects of several regulators on the flotation desulfurization were systematically investigated in this work. The results indicate that the regulators have great impacts on the desulfurization efficiency. Sodium silicate could significantly reduce the sulphur content of concentrate from 0.90 to 0.29% and increase the concentrate recovery by more than 10%. Zeta potential results prove that sodium silicate can eliminate the effect of acidification on flotation desulfurization.