Iron Recovery from a Gold Ore by Floatation Method with Polyether Amine

Objective To explore the effect of separating iron elements in a gold mine in Sichuan by using polyetheramine and mixed collector flotation method. Method The composition of the ore was determined through phase and elemental analysis. Flotation experiments using a single polyetheramine D-2000 collector, a mixed polyetheramine-sodium oleate collector, and sulfuric acid dissolution experiments were conducted to investigate the total iron content and mass proportion of the floating products under different conditions. Result In the flotation experiment with a single collector, polyetheramine D-2000 was used as the collector. When the dosage of polyetheramine D-2000 was 2 mL(0.1 mol/L) and the pH value was 1, the total iron content of the floating product reached 47.5%, indicating that polyetheramine can achieve iron separation in gold mines. The flotation experiment of the polyetheramine - sodium oleate mixed collector shows that the addition of sodium oleate further improves the separation rate of the floating products and the sinking products. When pH=5, the proportion of the floating mass after flotation with a mixed collector increased by 30.2% compared with that after flotation with a single collector. The total iron content increased by 0.7%. It is indicated that the flotation effect of the mixed collector is superior to that of using polyetheramine alone. The sulfuric acid dissolution experiment shows that when the solid-liquid ratio is 1∶10, the total iron content reaches a maximum of 30.93%. Conclusion The use of polyetheramine D-2000 as a collector can effectively separate iron elements from gold ores. Adding sodium oleate to form a mixed collector can further increase the mass proportion and total iron content of the floating products, and the flotation effect is superior to that of a single collector.