SELECTIVE FLOATATION OF BERYL AND ITS SEPARATION FROM SPODUMENITE

The selective floatation of beryl, especially its separation from spodumenite,has been investigated. For floatation of beryl and separation from gangue mineralsin alkaline medium, the reasonable adjustment between the activating factor, Ca~(2+),and the depressing factors, such as CO_3~(2-) etc., was ascertained. Thus, the unfavour-able effects of "unavoidable ions" in slurry and in hard water on floatationwere remarkably eliminated. As a result, it is developed a "flow-sheet of selectivefloatation of beryl and its separation from spodumenite" which is entirely possibleto floate beryl or spodumenite and even their complex ores with various naturalwaters. This seems to be advantageous to no washing for deslime or other specialtreatments, easy supply of reagents, less expansive, as well as simple, adaptableand flexible operation. Commercial tests verified that beryl concentrate assaying9.2-10.8% BeO with recovery of 88-80% has been yielded from ore containing 0.3%BeO, and also that beryl or spodumenite concentrate assaying 8.5% BeO or 6.0%Li_2O with recovery of 69% or 88% respectively from a complex ore containing0.055% BeO and 0.93% Li_2O. The flow-sheet has been carried into industrial millswith great success.