A Novel Approach for the Removal of Impurities from Feldspar Ores

Abstract

The objective of this study was to bulk float the discoloured impurities from feldspar ores at alkali conditions compared to conventional treatment method where the impurities are removed from the ore in acidic conditions in two stages. Conventionally, the feldspar concentrate is produced by reverse multi-stage flotation of impurities such as micaceous and heavy minerals separately in an acidic medium in two-stages using two different collectors of amine and oleate types. This study showed that the impurities in three different feldspar ores, received from Aydin, Milas and Manisa, located in the western part of Turkey, were bulk floated successfully in an alkali medium, using a fatty acid based collector. With this novel approach, increased capacity, decreased collector and acid consumption, easy circuit control, lower unit cost were achieved. The results of bench scale flotation tests with this novel method were compared to conventional method and its applicability was discussed.