Flotation separation of scheelite from fluorite by new depressant nitrilotriacetic acid and its mechanism

Background Fluorite and scheelite are main resources for fluorine and tungsten respectively, which are usually associated with each other, and the separation of them has important strategic meaning. For the first time, scheelite and fluorite were separated by using nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) as depressant. Methods The effects of NTA on the flotation of scheelite and fluorite were investigated by flotation experiments. The selective adsorption mechanism of NTA on fluorite were revealed by atomic force microscope (AFM), zeta potential measurements, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Significant findings NTA could achieve the efficient separation of scheelite from fluorite. Under the optimal separation conditions, the recovery of scheelite concentrate is 73.59 % and the grade of CaWO 4 is 73.19 %, and the recovery and CaF 2 grade of fluorite in tailings was 74.71 % and 79.44 % respectively. Mechanism study showed that although NTA had carboxy groups, NTA could not be adsorbed on scheelite surface due to the electrostatic repulsion and steric effect. However, NTA was strongly chemisorbed by calcium on fluorite, covering calcium groups and hiding the further adsorption of NaOL. Thus, NTA selectively disturbed NaOL adsorption and decreased the floatability of fluorite and realized the scheelite-fluorite separation.