Influences of Interactive Effects in the Flotation of Magnesite with Sodium Oleate as Collector based on Solution Chemistry

The floatability of magnesite, serpentine and quartz with sodium oleate as collector and the influence of serpentine on the floatability of magnesite and quartz were researched in this study and the crystal chemistry and solution chemistry mechanisms were discussed. The results showed that serpentines had individual effects on the floatability of magnesite in different fractions and serpentine could suppress the flotation of magnesite while it can activate the flotation of quartz. The reasons of this phenomenon were mainly that the ions from the solution of serpentine with relatively high solubility are hydrophilic and easy to reunite with the Mg2+ and O2- ions on the surface of magnesite, which led to the increment of hydrophilicity of magnesite and decrement of the chance that sodium oleate could adsorb on the surface of magnesite and therefore depress the floatability of magnesite, while the complexation of Mg2+ ions on the surface of quartz could increase the chance of being collected by sodium oleate.