Influence of metal cations on cassiterite flotation

Rotation of cassiterite has been studied on pure minerals in a microflotation cell with sulphosuccinamate as a collector in the presence of some metal ions. The results indicate that sulphosuccinamate demonstrates strong collection, good selectivity on cassiterite, especially in the weak acidity region of pH 6.0, and that lead ions have certain activation whereas other metal ions such as ferric, aluminum, manganese, ferrous, and calcium cause strong depression on cassiterite flotation. In addition, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has been applied to study the flotation mechanism of cassiterite-sulphosuccinamate in the presence or absence of metal cation. A chemisorption mechanism through chemical bonding between stannum species on the cassiterite surface and oxygens from carboxylic and sulphonic acid groups of sulphosuccinamate is considered. The chemical environment of stannum species would be changed in the presence of lead ions in the flotation systems and improve the activity of the stannum species, while ferric ions show strong depression due to the formation of steady complexes between ferric species and collector.