Effect of collector, pH and ionic strength on the cationic flotation of kaolinite

The effect of amine collector type, pH, and ionic strength on the flotation behaviour of kaolinite was investigated in a series of laboratory batch flotation tests. In distilled water, ether diamine, a strong collector for silica, does not induce any flotation or only very weak flotation of kaolinite over a wide pH range from pH 3 to pH 10.5. Ether monoamine causes strong flotation of kaolinite in distilled water, especially in acidic solutions, but high dosages of the collector are required. Such observations are in contrast to the flotation behaviour of oxide minerals such as silica for which ether diamine shows stronger collecting power than ether monoamine. The pH dependence of kaolinite flotation is also opposite to that of oxides, with lower flotation recovery obtained at higher pH. In contrast to oxides, the flotation recovery of kaolinite increases with ionic strength. It was demonstrated that the enhanced flotation of kaolinite in NaCl solutions cannot be attributed to the frothing ability of NaCl or the intercalation of kaolinite by alkylamines. It is proposed that the screened zeta potential of kaolinite particles in a high ionic strength environment causes random aggregation of kaolinite particles exposing hydrophobic (001) silica plane in the presence of ether amines.