Exploring Dextrin as an Eco-Friendly Depressant for Selective Flotation Separation of Scheelite and Calcite Minerals
Wei Yao, Yue Wu, Maolin Li, Rui Cui, Jiaying Li, Zhehui Yang, Yingying Fu, Zhiqin Pan, Daowei Wang, Ming Zhang
Abstract
Depressants are essential additives in the flotation separation of scheelite-calcite minerals. However, traditional inorganic depressants such as sodium silicate have the disadvantages of high dosage, environmental pollution, and being non-efficient, which leads to a growing interest in eco-friendly and effective organic alternatives. In this study, a polysaccharide, dextrin, was used as a green depressant for the flotation separation of scheelite from calcite. Micro-flotation experiments indicated that dextrin selectively depressed calcite at natural pH yet scheelite remained floatable using sodium oleate (NaOL) as a collector. Adsorption density and zeta potential results indicated that dextrin was preferentially adsorbed on the calcite surface and prevented the subsequent NaOL from adsorption. By contrast, dextrin had a weak interaction with scheelite, allowing NaOL to be adsorbed on the scheelite surface. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis and density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggested that the Ca2+ active sites on the calcite surface interacted with -OH groups on the carbon ring of dextrin. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) tests confirmed the chemical interaction between -OH groups in dextrin and Ca2+ active sites on the mineral surfaces, and importantly, the interaction was much stronger for calcite than for scheelite.