The present study aimed to investigate the influence mechanism of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) on the flotation of fine chlorite. To this end, a series of flotation tests, sedimentation tests, and microscope analyses were conducted. Flotation tests revealed an inverse relationship between particle size and the recovery of chlorite, indicating that finer particles exhibited higher recovery rates. Moreover, it was observed that the recovery of fine chlorite was significantly associated with the water recovery (proportion of water entering the floated product to the weight of water in the initial flotation suspension) and a variety of frother types. Based on these findings, it can be inferred that froth entrainment may constitute a crucial component of the recovery mechanism underlying fine chlorite. Thus, reducing froth entrainment (the phenomenon of hydrophilic minerals entering floated products through foam water) is the key to depress chlorite flotation. Flotation tests indicate that fine chlorite recovered into froth products can be depressed effectively by CMC with a high molecular weight. The results of sedimentation tests and microscope analyses in the presence of CMC prove that CMC with a high molecular weight generates flocculation on fine chlorite particles while that with a low molecular weight does not. It is suggested that the depression of chlorite flotation may be attributed to the reduction in the entrainment resulting from the flocculation induced by CMC.
Keywords: carboxymethyl cellulose; chlorite; entrainment; flocculation.