New insight into adsorption of novel ternary mixed collector in ilmenite–titanaugite flotation system

•A self-assembled ternary mixed collector was used for separation of ilmenite from titanaugite.•New evidence for various assembly behaviors in the collectors were found.•TOF-SIMS visualized the adsorption configurations of Pb–BHA–NaOL. In this study, a self-assembled ternary mixed collector, Pb–BHA–NaOL (PBN), was used for the flotation of ilmenite from titanaugite. The internal assembly mechanism and interfacial adsorption behavior of the collector were comprehensively explored. The highest flotation separation performance (ilmenite recovery, 95.2% vs. titanaugite recovery, 12.6%) in the system was achieved at pH6. New evidence for various assembly behaviors in the collectors, including electrostatic attraction, chemical bonding, and hydrogen bonding, were found using zeta potential and in situ attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (in situ FTIR) combined with 2D correlation spectroscopic analysis. The difference between the adsorption configurations of PBN on the surfaces of the two minerals were visualized by time-of-flight secondary ion-mass spectrometry. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses confirmed that the high amount of Ca and Mg ions on the surface of titanaugite did not permit the collector species to form a strong bond with it, which was the main reason for the inadequate floatability of the mineral. Based on this analysis and discussion, different adsorption processes of Pb–BHA–NaOL on the surfaces of ilmenite and titanaugite are described in detail.