Amines flotation

Sulphidization - amine flotation. This method was extensively examined dating back to the 1940s and early 1950s [11], and currently is being used in almost all industrial plants treating oxidized zinc ores. Amines suitable for flotation of oxidized zinc minerals include salts of aliphatic amines, octadecyl amine and hydrooxyinolin. 

Using cationic flotation (C-14 amine and amine hydrochloride) method, no selectivity between pyrochlore and gangue minerals is achieved. Amine flotation, therefore, cannot be successfully applied for flotation of pyrochlore. 

Anionic sulfonated polyacrylamide (PAMS) is also found to increase amine flotation of quartz. Although PAMS does not adsorb on the negatively charged quartz and cause no direct activation of amine adsorption, the polymer-surfactant electrostatic interaction can lead to the formation of complexes. This polymer-surfactant complex can reduce the armoring of bubbles and lead to flotation. The anionic polymer can also bridge the adsorbed amine to the amine on the bubble surface and enhance flotation under saturated adsorption conditions. The hydration effect of the polymer may also be responsible for the enhanced flotation in this case. 

P. Somasundaran. Cationic Depression of Amine Flotation of ( uattz, Trans. AIME, 255, 64... 

The examples in the preceding section, of the flotation of lead and copper ores by xanthates, was one in which chemical forces predominated in the adsorption of the collector. Flotation processes have been applied to a number of other minerals that are either ionic in type, such as potassium chloride, or are insoluble oxides such as quartz and iron oxide, or ink pigments [needed to be removed in waste paper processing [92]]. In the case of quartz, surfactants such as alkyl amines are used, and the situation is complicated by micelle formation (see next section), which can also occur in the adsorbed layer [93, 94]. 

Collectors Fitting into Fattice Cavities. Lattice site fitting of collectors at sohd walls has been invoked as a means of explaining the selective behavior of amines (cationic coUectors) as reagents in the flotation-separation of soluble salt minerals such as KCl and NaCl (22). 

The basic flow sheet for the flotation-concentration of nonsulfide minerals is essentially the same as that for treating sulfides but the family of reagents used is different. The reagents utilized for nonsulfide mineral concentrations by flotation are usually fatty acids or their salts (RCOOH, RCOOM), sulfonates (RSO M), sulfates (RSO M), where M is usually Na or K, and R represents a linear, branched, or cycHc hydrocarbon chain and amines [R2N(R)3]A where R and R are hydrocarbon chains and A is an anion such as Cl or Br . Collectors for most nonsulfides can be selected on the basis of their isoelectric points. Thus at pH > pH p cationic surfactants are suitable collectors whereas at lower pH values anion-type collectors are selected as illustrated in Figure 10 (28). Figure 13 shows an iron ore flotation flow sheet as a representative of high volume oxide flotation practice. 

Soluble Salt Flotation. KCl separation from NaCl and media containing other soluble salts such as MgCl (eg, The Dead Sea works in Israel and Jordan) or insoluble materials such as clays is accompHshed by the flotation of crystals using amines as coUectors. The mechanism of adsorption of amines on soluble salts such as KCl has been shown to be due to the matching of coUector ion size and lattice vacancies (in KCl flotation) as well as surface charges carried by the soflds floated (22). Although cation-type coUectors (eg, amines) are commonly used, the utUity of sulfonates and carboxylates has also been demonstrated in laboratory experiments. 

The fine mica fraction is deslimed over 0.875—0.147-mm (80—100-mesh) Trommel screens or hydrocylcones, or is separated with hydrosi2ers. The deslimed pulp (<0.589 mm (—28 mesh)) of mica, feldspar, and quart2 is then fed to a froth flotation circuit where these materials are separated from each other either by floating in an acid circuit with rosin amine and sulfuric acid (2.5—4.0 pH), or an alkaline circuit (7.5—9.0 pH) with tall oil amine, goulac, rosin amine acetate, and caustic soda (see Eig. 2). 

The functional group ia collectors for nonsulfide minerals is characterized by the presence of either a N (amines) or an O (carboxyUc acids, sulfonates, etc) as the donor atoms. In addition to these, straight hydrocarbons, such as fuel oil, diesel, kerosene, etc, are also used extensively either as auxiUary or secondary collectors, or as primary collectors for coal and molybdenite flotation. The chain length of the hydrocarbon group is generally short (2—8 C) for the sulfide collectors, and long (10—20 C) for nonsulfide collectors, because sulfides are generally more hydrophobic than most nonsulfide minerals (10). 

Xanthates and dithiophosphates dominate sulfide flotation usage, though several other collectors including more recently developed ones are gaining acceptance rapidly (43). As of this writing, this is an active area of research. Many of the sulfide collectors were first used ia the mbber iadustry as vulcanizers (16). Fatty acids, amines, and sulfonates dominate the nonsulfide flotation usage. The fatty acids are by-products from natural plant or animal fat sources (see Fats and fatty oils). Similarly petroleum sulfonates are by-products of the wood (qv) pulp (qv) iadustry, and amines are generally fatty amines derived from fatty acids. 

Scrubbing andDesliming. Sylvinite ores in North America contain 1—6 wt % water-insoluble clays. A significant portion of these clays is less than 0.002 mm in diameter. If not removed or controUed in some manner, clay bodies that are dispersed in the flotation solution, ie, brine saturated with KCl and NaCl, absorb the amine coUector, which is added to effect flotation separation, and the coUector is rendered ineffective. Clay is the most troublesome impurity encountered in the processing of sylvinite ore. 

Flotation. Tallow amines contain small amounts of short-chain compounds, eg, the octyl, lauryl, and myristyl (C ) groups. These amines usually produce enough froth for the flotation. Small quantities of specialized synthetic alcohols, eg, Dowfroth P, are frequentiy added to the flotation system to supplement the natural frothers. The quantities of the reagents used ia potash flotation plants are Hsted ia Table 5. 

Amine salts, especially acetate salts prepared by neutralization of a fatty amine with acetic acid, are useflil as flotation agents (collectors), corrosion inhibitors, and lubricants (3,8). Amine acetates are commercially available from a number of suppHers Akzo Chemicals Inc. (Armac) (73) Henkel Corporation (formerly General Mills) (Alamac) (74) Jetco Chemicals Inc. (The Procter Gamble Company) (fet Amine) (75) Sherex (Adogen) (76) and Tom ah Products (Exxon Chemical Company) (Tomah) (77). 

The addition of 2,2, 4,4, 6-pentanitro-6 -methyldiphenylamine [64653-47-0] to seawater precipitates potassium (38). Aromatic amines, especially aminotetrahydronaphthalenes and their A[-aryl derivatives, are efficient flotation agents for quartz. The use of DPA for image formation in films has been patented (39,40). Diarylamines are used as intermediates (41) for azo, sulfur, oxidative base, triaryhnethane, oxazine, nitro, and safranine dyes (see Dyes and DYE INTERLffiDIATES). 

The presence of ammonia during hydrogenation suppresses formation of secondary amines and inhibits hydrogenation of double bonds in unsaturated nitriles. Eatty amines are used as corrosion inhibitors, flotation agents, quaternary salts for sanitizing agents and textile fabric softeners, and surface-active agents. 

Sylvinite is removed from the ponds with scraper-loaders and hauled to a central pit. The salts are then transported to the refinery in a slurry line. KCl is separated from the NaCl by flotation. The flotation process is standard throughout the industry and is the same process used to separate KCl from impurities in a camaUite decomposition process explained later. An amine collector is used as one of the reagents. 

Production of KCl at the Wendover, Utah operation employs a large 7000 acre complex of solar ponds. Both shallow brine wells and deeper wells are used to pump brine into the pond complex. In the preconcentration ponds water is evaporated and sodium chloride is crystallized. Later the brine is transferred to production ponds where sylvinite is deposited. Brine is then transferred to other ponds where camaUite is crystallized. Sylvinite is removed from drained ponds with self-loading scrapers and taken to the plant were KCl is separated by flotation with an amine oil collector. The camaUite,... 

Amines are important industrial chemicals which are involved in everyday life [3, 4]. Apart from the usual classification into primary, secondary, and tertiary amines, the distinction is often made between lighf amines (less than six-carbon substituents) and fatty amines. light amines are intermediates for the synthesis of drugs, herbicides, cosmetics, etc. [3]. They also find use as vulcanization accelerators and extraction agents. Fatty amines are involved in the synthesis of corrosion inhibitors and cationic surfactants, which are used in ore flotation processes and are good fabric softeners and antistatic agents [4—6],... 

---