Novel Hydroxyl-Containing Quaternary Ammonium Salt N-(2-Hydroxyethyl)-N, N-Dimethyl-3-[(1-Oxododecyl)amino]-1-Propanaminium: Its Synthesis and Flotation Performance to Quartz

In this paper, a novel hydroxyl-containing quaternary ammonium surfactant N-(2-Hydroxyethyl)-N, N-dimethyl-3-[(1-oxododecyl)amino]-1-propanaminium (LPDC) was synthesized and introduced as a collector for the reverse cationic flotation separation of apatite from quartz; the adsorption mechanisms between LPDC and two mineral surfaces were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), zeta potential measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The micro-flotation tests showed that LPDC exhibited excellent flotation performance. When the pulp was at natural pH and LPDC concentration was 25 mg/L, the apatite concentrate with a P2O5 recovery of 95.45% and P2O5 grade of 38.94% could be obtained from artificially mixed minerals. FTIR, zeta potential, and XPS analysis indicated that the adsorption of LPDC onto quartz surface is stronger than that onto apatite surface; meanwhile, the adsorption of LPDC onto quartz surface is mainly provided by electrostatic force and hydrogen bonding.