Improving Fine Molybdenite Flotation Using a Combination of Aliphatic Hydrocarbon Oil and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon

Kerosene is widely used as a collector in molybdenite flotation. However, it can only adsorb on molybdenite faces but not on molybdenite edges, which is unfavorable for the flotation of fine molybdenite particles with high edge/face ratios. In this study, kerosene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) were combined to form a composite collector to improve fine molybdenite flotation. It was hypothesized that PAH might adsorb on molybdenite edges through its polar group and render them hydrophobic. This composite collector was examined in the flotation of molybdenite particles from different size fractions. It was found that this composite collector improved the flotation of molybdenite particles especially from finer size fractions. Zeta potential measurements and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses indicate that PAH preferentially adsorbed on molybdenite edges and therefore improved molybdenite flotation. The improvement was more significant for fine molybdenite particles with a high proportion of edges. This study provides new insights in improving fine molybdenite flotation.