Abstract:
Traditional collectors often suffer from limited functionality, rendering them inadequate for meeting the flotation requirements of polymetallic or complex ores. Moreover, they frequently causes sencondary polution to the environment during the flotation process. Bromododecane, 1, 1, 3, 3−tetramethylguanidine, succinic acid and epichlorohydrin were used as raw materials to synthesize a new type of Gemini dodecanidine salt cationic collector (C
12−2−C
12) featuring an ester bond linkage. At 25 ℃, C
12−2−C
12 exhibits a surface tension of 25.10 mN/m. Notably, its critical micelle concentration (0.01 mmol/L) is significantly lower than that of single−chain dodecyl guanidine (5.01 mmol/L). The foam stability of C
12−2−C
12 reaches 74.79% with a water separation time of 313 seconds for 10 mL of water, exhibiting outstanding emulsification performance. The collection performance of C
12−2−C
12 as a magnetite reverse flotation collector was systematically evaluated during the experiment. The results show that the single mineral simulated flotation tests reveal that C
12−2−C
12 show excellent selectivity towards quartz at pH=7 and a collector concentration of 0.3 mmol/L. Under these conditions, the quartz recovery rate achieved with C
12−2−C
12 is 87.6%, which is significantly higher than the 69.46% recovery rate obtained with dodecylguanidine. In the reverse flotation of actual magnetite ore samples at pH=7, with a collector dosage of 320 g/t and an inhibitor (caustic starch) dosage of 250 g/t, the concentrate grade reaches 67.58%, with a recovery rate of 76.35%. In the biodegradation experiment, the biodegradability of C
12−2−C
12 was investigated using the shaking culture method. After 40 days, the final degradation rates of C
12−2−C
12 and dodecylguanidine are 52.12% and 44.56%, respectively. In comparison to traditional single−chain collectors (with a biodegradability of approximately 30%) and Gemini quaternary ammonium salt collectors (with a biodegradability of around 26%), C
12−2−C
12 demonstrates superior environmental friendliness. Finally, the collection mechanism of the C
12−2−C
12 collector synthesized in this study was analyzed. Results from infrared spectroscopy and Zeta−potential tests indicate that the adsorption of the collector on the surfaces of quartz is mainly eiectrostatic adsorption and and it has almost no effect on the surface of magnetite. Quantum chemical calculations further reveal that C
12−2−C
12 carries a strong positive charge and interact with the quartz surface by donating electrons to the lowest molecular orbital of C
12−2−C
12 through quartz. In conclusion, C
12−2−C
12 proved to be an excellent reverse flotation collector for magnetite, exhibiting favorable biodegradability.