Synthesis of α-sulfonate-palmitic Acid Collector and Its Separation Performance for Dolomite and Fluorapatite

Based on the modification of the structure and function of palmitic acid and derivation of functional groups, the α-sulfonate-palmitic acid collector(SPA) was synthesized, which showed highly different selectivity for collecting dolomite and fluorapatite. The results of the single mineral flotation test showed that the recovery of dolomite was 87.65% while the recovery of fluorapatite was only 35.63% with the pH value close to 5 and the SPA dosage of 6×10^-5 mol/L. A variety of analytical methods such as Zata potential, SEM, EDX and XPS were used to investigate the mechanism of action of the collector on the mineral surface, which confirmed the adsorption of this collector on the surface of dolomite and fluorapatite is chemical adsorption.