Investigating the Role of Ferrous Ions in Depressing Calcite to Achieve Selective Rhodochrosite Flotation: Surface Chemistry and Experimental Insights

TL;DR

This study shows how ferrous ions help separate rhodochrosite from calcite by altering their surface properties during flotation.

Contribution

The paper reveals the mechanism of Fe2+ chemisorption on calcite and its minimal effect on rhodochrosite, enabling selective flotation.

Findings

Fe2+ strongly depresses calcite flotation at pH 9.0, with recovery < 20%.

Rhodochrosite remains highly floatable (>75% recovery) under the same conditions.

Fe2+ forms a dense hydrophilic layer on calcite but only a thin layer on rhodochrosite.

Abstract

Modulating surface characteristics via metal ions has proven to be a successful approach to enhance the flotation efficiency of carbonates. Consequently, this research thoroughly examines how ferrous ions (Fe2+) influence the selective separation of rhodochrosite from calcite. Flotation experiments revealed that at pH 9.0, Fe2+ strongly depressed calcite flotation (recovery < 20%) while exerting a negligible influence on the floatability of rhodochrosite (recovery > 75%), enabling effective selective separation. To elucidate the underlying mechanism, contact angle measurements, zeta potential analysis, ToF-SIMS, SEM-EDS, XPS and Visual MINTEQ solution chemistry calculations were employed to characterize mineral surface properties. The results demonstrate that Fe2+ undergoes chemisorption onto the calcite surface, inducing the formation of a dense, uniform iron hydroxide layer. This layer creates a stable hydrophilic barrier that inhibits collector adsorption. In contrast, only a thin, discontinuous layer forms on the rhodochrosite surface, which is insufficient to hinder collector interaction. These findings reveal the intrinsic mechanism of selective interfacial regulation by ferrous ions, providing a new theoretical basis for the flotation separation of refractory carbonate minerals.

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