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Alkyl dimethyl betaine activates the low-temperature collection capacity of sodium oleate for scheelite

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Abstract

The impact of alkyl dimethyl betaine (ADB) on the collection capacity of sodium oleate (NaOl) at low temperatures was evaluated using flotation tests at various scales. The low-temperature synergistic mechanism of ADB and NaOl was explored by infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, surface tension measurement, foam performance test, and flotation reagent size measurement. The flotation tests revealed that the collector mixed with octadecyl dimethyl betaine (ODB) and NaOl in a mass ratio of 4:96 exhibited the highest collection capacity. The combined collector could increase the scheelite recovery by 3.48% at low temperatures of 8–12°C. This is particularly relevant in the Luanchuan area, which has the largest scheelite concentrate output in China. The results confirmed that ODB enhanced the collection capability of NaOl by improving the dispersion and foaming performance. Betaine can be introduced as an additive to NaOl to improve the recovery of scheelite at low temperatures.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51904339 and No. 51974364), the Key Laboratory of Hunan Province for Clean and Efficient Utilization of Strategic Calcium-containing Mineral Resources, China (No. 2018TP1002), the Co-Innovation Centre for Clean and Efficient Utilization of Strategic Metal Mineral Resources, and the Postgraduate Independent Exploration and Innovation Project of Central South University, China (No. 2018zzts224).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China

    Xu Wang, Zhengquan Zhang, Yanfang Cui, Wei Li, Congren Yang, Wenqing Qin & Fen Jiao

  2. Key Laboratory of Hunan Province for Clean and Efficient Utilization of Strategic Calcium-containing Mineral Resources, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China

    Xu Wang, Zhengquan Zhang, Yanfang Cui, Wei Li, Congren Yang, Wenqing Qin & Fen Jiao

  3. College of Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19102, USA

    Hao Song

  4. Luoyang Zhenbei Industry and Trade Co., Ltd., Luoyang, 47100, China

    Xu Wang & Hao Song

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  1. Xu Wang
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Wang, X., Zhang, Z., Cui, Y. et al. Alkyl dimethyl betaine activates the low-temperature collection capacity of sodium oleate for scheelite. Int J Miner Metall Mater 31, 71–80 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-023-2718-2

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