Large reserves of feldspar ores exist in the Aegean region of Turkey. Unlike conventional ores, the main impurity in some of these deposits is titanium. In this study, the results of testwork carried out to determine potation conditions for efficient separation of titanium bearing minerals from two different feldspar ores from the area are presented. The study commenced with mineralogical examination which indicated that the main titanium bearing mineral in the ore was rutile. Another titanium mineral, sphene, was also present in relatively small quantities. In the tests, the effects of particle size, pH, collector types and their amount were tested. The results showed that efficient separation of titanium bearing minerals could be achieved by oleate flotation at around pH 5, after grinding the ore down to 100% -180 mu m. Oleate provided results superior to sulphonates and succinamate. Equivalent success was obtained by the use of collectors prepared from locally available vegetable oils. Of the five oils tested, sunflower and cotton seed oils produced the most efficient separation. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.
