Synergistic impact of surfactant and sodium oleate on dolomite removal from fluorapatite via reverse flotation.

[Display omitted] • The selective absorption of NaOL with NP-10 on dolomite surface was examined. • The selective co-absorption mechanism of NaOL with NP-10 was revealed. • NP-10 promoted the adsorption of NaOL on dolomite surface. • A selective absorption model of NaOL with NP-10 was established. • Flotation separation of dolomite from apatite was achieved with mixed collectors. Surfactants were introduced to enhance the efficiency of sodium oleate (NaOL) in the flotation-based separation of calcium-containing minerals due to the drawbacks of substantial dosages and limited selectivity of NaOL. This study investigates the synergistic influence of NaOL in combination with surfactant NP-10 on the reverse flotation separation of dolomite from fluorapatite. Micro-flotation experiments revealed a 19.24% increase in dolomite recovery when adding 10% molar concentration of NP-10, resulting in a 20% reduction in collector dosage. Artificial mixed ore experiments demonstrated that NP-10 can enhance the selectivity of NaOL towards dolomite. The synergy between NP-10 and NaOL was found to reduce the molecular particle size of NaOL by 8%, improve its resistance to interference ions, and enhance its adsorption on the dolomite surface, consequently increasing dolomite's hydrophobicity, with negligible effects on fluorapatite. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and adsorption capacity data indicated that both NaOL and NP-10 can adsorb Ca and Mg sites on the mineral surface, with NP-10 facilitating collector binding to Mg on the dolomite surface. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) analysis revealed that NP-10 did not impact the adsorption of NaOL on the surface of fluorapatite, but the combination of NaOL with NP-10 resulted in a denser and higher coverage on the dolomite surface compared to NaOL alone. This study provides a theoretical foundation for selecting surfactants to enhance the efficacy of fatty acids in mineral separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]