Selective flocculation studies on iron ore minerals

Abstract

Selective flocculation was studied for binary combinations of artificial mixtures of hematite, corundum, and quartz and on a ternary system containing hematite, corundum, and quartz by using starch as the selective flocculant. The important parameters studied were pH and starch concentration, and the effect of a dispersant was examined. Quartz is easily separated from hematite and corundum, though selective flocculation of the hematite-corundum system was not favorable. In a ternary mixture, the Al₂O₃/SiO₂ ratio is decreased from approximate 1.5 to approximate 0.9 by selective flocculation.