PT92128B - PROCESS FOR THE SEPARATION OF MINERALS NOT SULFURETATED FROM A FLOATING MINING USING ESTERS OF FATTY ACIDS AND / OR DERIVED FROM FATTY ACIDS WITH TENSIONIC PROPERTIES AS COLLECTOR AGENTS AND THEIR PREPARATION - Google Patents

Abstract

Surface-active fatty acid ester and/or fatty acid derivatives obtained by reacting epoxidized fatty acid esters with 1 to 3 mol of sulphur trioxide per mol of epoxide oxygen at 20 to 100 DEG C, reacting the reaction product (A) with nucleophilic reagents and, if necessary, saponifying the ester bond are used as collectors in the flotation of non-sulphidic ores.

Description

The present invention relates to the preparation of surfactant derivatives of fatty acids and / or their esters, which can be obtained by the reaction of epoxidized fatty acid esters with sulfur trioxide, and subsequent reaction with nucleophilic reagents and possibly a.saponification of the ester bond, as collectors in the flotation of non-sulfur ores.

The separation of useful minerals from gangue by flotation is a process of choice generally employed for the treatment of ores. Non-sulfur minerals within the scope of the present invention are, for example, apatite, fluorite, chelite, barite, iron oxides and other metal oxides, for example titanium and zirconium oxides, as well as certain silicates and aluminosilicates. Usually, in the process of preparation by flotation, the ore is first crushed and dried, but is preferably ground in a wet way and suspended in water. Then collectors are usually added, often in combination with foaming agents and possibly other auxiliary reagents, such as regulators, deactivators and / or activators, which in the subsequent flotation help to separate the useful minerals from the ore gangue minerals. Before air is blown into the suspension (flotation) to produce foam on its surface, these reagents are usually allowed to act for a certain time on the finely ground ore (conditioning). The collector promotes hydrophobation of the surface in the mineral in order to cause this mineral to adhere to the gas bubbles formed during air insufflation. The hydrophobation of the mineral components is carried out selectively, so that the undesirable components of the ore do not stick to the gas bubbles. The foam containing the mineral is separated and subjected to other treatments. This is the purpose of flotation, obtaining the useful mineral from the ore with the highest possible yield, and thus at the same time obtaining the best possible enrichment of the useful mineral.

The use of active anion surfactants as collectors in the flotation of non-sulfurous ores is already known in the art. The known anionically active collectors are, for example, saturated fatty acids

and unsaturated, alkylsulfates, alkylsulfates, alkylsulfosuccinates, alkylsulfosuccinates, alkylbenzenesulfonates, alkylsulfonates, petroleum sulfonates, acylactylates, alkylphosphates and alkyl etherphosphates.

In the treatment of non-sulfur ores by flotation, a large number of separation data can be selected, conditioned by the composition, which is highly variable depending on the origin of the raw material to be separated. The minerals to be separated are often finely linked together and still have a great chemical similarity. As a result, the successful performance of these flotation processes requires highly selective reagents, especially for highly selective collectors.

It has been found that surfactant derivatives of fatty acids and / or their esters, such as can be obtained by the reaction of epoxidized esters of unsaturated fatty acids with sulfur trioxide, and the subsequent reaction with nucleophilic reagents, as well as in the case of derivatives of fatty acids (disals) due to the saponification of the ester bond, present advantages in terms of selectivity, in their use as collectors for the flotation of non-sulfurous ores, in relation to the known anionic Standard flotation collectors.

The object of the invention is therefore the use, as collectors in the flotation of non-sulphurous ores, of surfactant derivatives of fatty acids and / or their esters, which can be obtained by reacting epoxidized esters of fatty acids with 1 to 3 moles of trioxide of sulfur per mole of epoxide oxygen, at 20 to 100 ° C, if the reaction product (A) is reacted with nucleophilic reagents, and eventually the ester bond is saponified.

The substances proposed here as collectors are known from the specification DB-A-3 612 481. Esters of

- 4 epoxidized fatty acids, used as starting material in their preparation, can in turn be prepared by epoxidation of esters of unsaturated fatty acids, for example according to the process described in J. Am. Chem. Soc. 6? (1945) p. 412-414, by reaction of esters of unsaturated fatty acids with peracetic acid. Suitable fatty acid esters are esters of unsaturated fatty acids with 14 to 22 carbon atoms and monofunctional or polyfunctional alcohols with I. to 6 carbon atoms, for example metal, ethyl, isopropyl esters, ethylene glycol esters, triglycerides, esters trimethylolpropane, pentaerythrite ester and sorbitan esters. Preferred as epoxidated fatty acid esters are epoxidized alkyl esters with 1 to 4 carbon atoms of monounsaturated fatty acids with 16 to 22 carbon atoms, or mixtures of fatty acids that consist predominantly of monounsaturated fatty acids with 16 to 22 atoms of carbon. However, epoxidized esters of technical fatty acid fractions which contain up to about 20% by weight of saturated fatty acids with 14 to 22 carbon atoms and / or up to about 50% by weight of polyunsaturated fatty acids are also suitable. , for example linoleic acid. Epoxidized fatty acid esters with a content of 3 to 5% by weight of epoxide oxygen, especially epoxidated methyl oleate, or epoxidized metal esters of fatty acid fractions, which contain more than 50% by weight of oleic acid, are preferred.

In the reaction of the epoxidized esters of fatty acids with sulfur trioxide, a simultaneous sulfonation in position relative to the carboxylic group occurs as a secondary reaction. The reaction proceeds according to the following chemical equation

CH ₃ - (CH ₂ ) _x - CH - CH - (CH ₂ ) _y - CH ₂ - C - OR ¹ + SO _: O

O

CH ₃ - (CH ₂ ) _x - CH - OH - (CH ₂ ) _y - CH ₂ - O - OR ¹ ,

0, 0 / so ₂ where R, in the case of alkyl esters with 1 to 4 carbon atoms, represents an alkyl group with 1 to 4 carbon atoms. The sum (x + y) is a number from 9 to 17. In the case of epoxidated methyl oleate R represents methyl and (x + y) has the value 13 · Due to the '-v-sulfonation of the fatty acid esters, which occurs under the same reaction conditions, a part of the esters of non-epoxidated saturated fatty acids is converted, under the reaction conditions, to esters of β-sulfonated fatty acids. A portion of esters of non-oxidized unsaturated fatty acids are still sulfonated at the double bond, the same is true of esters of polyunsaturated fatty acids only paroially epoxidated. Sulfonation at the double bond proceeds analogously to the known sulfonation of olefins and leads to sulfoaleenocarboxylates with -SO ₃ H groups in position <x relative to the double bond, as well as to 2 and 3-hydroxyalkanesulfonates.

The products of the 1% reaction. The process step according to the invention is characterized by the fact that, instead of the epoxy groups now containing a glycolsulfate group. This is reactive and no 2®. step reacts with numerous nucleophilic reagents, with formation of new derivatives of fatty acid esters. As nucleophilic reagents, hydroxides, alcoholates, phenolates or carboxylates, ammonia, primary, secondary and tertiary amines are provided, for example. Ho case

of the reaction with the nucleophilic reagents, an opening of the glycolsulfate ring occurs with the formation of ethylsulfate / ^ - groups substituted according to the following equation

- CH - CH - + - R ² 0 (-) -> - CH - CH 1Ί I 2 I (-)

0 OR OSOn ' ^} \ / ³ SOg ^or

- OH - CH - + - NR ³ R ⁴ R ⁵ - »- CH - CH 1 1 (+) i W5 *

0 ^{k +;} NR ^J ROr OSO. ^{1 J} /

so ₂ in which for example R can represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, phenyl,

A benzyl, or acyl with 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and R, R3 and R4 can each represent 1 hydrogen atom or an alkyl group with 1 to 4 carbon atoms.

The fatty acid ester derivatives formed in this way, due to the sulfate ester groups -ΟδΟβ (-) that make them soluble in water, and eventually to the sulfonate groups -SO-j (-), have surfactant properties.

It is preferable to further react the reaction product (A) with metal hydroxides, especially alkali metal hydroxides, as nucleophilic reagents, with the hydrolytic dissociation of the glycolsulfate groups to groups / Î ± -hydroxyethanesulfate. This is easily achieved by contacting the reaction product (A) with an aqueous solution of 1 to 1.3 moles of alkali metal hydroxide per mole of sulfur trioxide present in the reaction, and heating until dissociation. from glycolsulfate groups to groups of formulas

- 7j-

- CH - CH - CH = CH - CH OH OSO (-) oso ₃ (-)

As alkali metal hydroxides, sodium or potassium hydroxides are preferred. The hydrolytic dissociation of the glycolsulfate groups in the case of using a 50% by weight solution of the alkali metal hydroxide, at 90 ° C, is complete after a maximum of 15 to 20 hours. Hydrolysis can be accelerated with higher temperatures and the use of pressure.

In aqueous solutions of surfactants so maintained, the content of the anionic surfactant is assessed by determining the content in the sulfonate group and the sulfate group, according to the method known as two-phase titration (standard method DGF H-lll-10). The dissociation of the glycolsulfate groups is complete if the content of the anionic surfactant does not increase any more.

A distinction between the sulfonate and sulfate groups is achieved by the two-phase titration after acid hydrolysis. The sulfate groups are dissociated by acid hydrolysis, so that after this only the content of sulfonate groups is determined.

The surfactant derivatives of free fatty acids (dissals) which are also of interest for use in the scope of the invention, are obtained from the derivatives of fatty acid esters described above, by saponification of the ester bond with at least stoichiometric amounts of alkali metal hydroxides, preferably sodium hydroxide. In this case too, the reaction can be accelerated by means of higher temperatures and the use of pressure. In cases where the reaction product (A) is subjected to reaction with alkali metal hydroxides as

nucleophilic reagent, the reaction product (A) can be transformed, in another step, into the desired dissal if it is subjected to reaction with an amount of alkali metal hydroxide that is sufficient for both the hydrolytic dissociation of the glycolsulfate groups and also for the hydrolysis of the ester bond. By appropriate choice of working conditions for the reaction product (A) mixtures of surfactant derivatives of fatty acid esters and fatty acid derivatives can be prepared.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, surfactant derivatives of fatty acids and / or fatty acid esters are used, which are obtained by combining! touch the reaction product (A), in aqueous solution, with 1 to 2 moles of the alkali metal hydroxide per mole of the sulfur trioxide present in the reaction, and heating until the glycol sulfate groups dissociate or until the hydrolysis of the ester groups .

The object of the invention is also a process for the separation of non-sulfurous minerals from an ore by flotation, in which the ground ore is mixed with water until a suspension is formed, the suspension is inflated in the presence of a collector and separates the foam formed together with the minerals contained therein, which are used as collectors derived from fatty acids and / or esters of fatty acids, which can be obtained by reacting epoxidized fatty acid esters with 1 to 3 moles of trioxide sulfur per mole of epoxide oxygen, at 20 to 100 ° C, the reaction product (A) being reacted with nucleophilic reagents and eventually saponifying the ester bond.

In order to achieve economic results in the flotation of non-sulfurous ores, the collector must be used in a certain minimum quantity, but neither can the maximum quantity of the collector be exceeded, since

- 9.when otherwise the foaming is too strong and the selectivity in relation to useful minerals decreases.

The quantities in which the collectors used according to the invention are incorporated depend in each case on the nature of the ore to be floated and its content of useful minerals. As a consequence, the quantities to be used can vary within wide limits. In general, the collectors according to the invention are used in quantities of 50 to 2000 and preferably 100 to 1500 g per metric ton of crude ore.

In practice, it may be convenient, for obtaining special effects, to incorporate the surfactant derivatives of fatty acids and / or their esters, used in accordance with the invention, in combination with known collectors, whether anionic, cationic, ampholytes or also non-ionogenic, to obtain special effects, especially for increasing selectivity. For the combination with the substances used according to the invention, the appropriate anionic collectors are, for example, fatty acids, alkylsulphates, alkylsulphates, alkylsulphosuccinates, alkylsulphosuccinates, alkylbenzenesulphonates, petroleum sulphonates, acylactates, alkylphosphates, alkyl etherphosphates and styrene acids. As active cation collectors, for example, primary aliphatic amines, alkylenediamines substituted by branched alkyl radials, alkylenediamines substituted by hydroxyalkyl and water-soluble acid addition salts of these amines are provided. Suitable ampholyte collectors are, for example, N- (1,2-dicarboxyethyl) -N-alkyl sareosides, taurides, sulfosuccinates. Examples of known non-ionogenic collectors are ethylene oxide addition products with alkylphenols or fatty alcohols, ethylene oxide and propylene oxide addition products with fatty alcohols, fatty alcohol / ethylene oxide addition products

having short chain alkyl radicals and alkylglucosides as radical terminal groups.

The surfactant derivatives of fatty acids and / or their esters, used according to the invention, are used in the known flotation processes for non-sulfur ores instead of the known eolectors. Accordingly, in addition to the described eolectors, the necessary reagents for each case are also used here, such as foaming agents, regulators, activators, deactivators, etc., which are added to the aqueous suspensions of the crushed ore. The fluctuation is carried out under the conditions of the current technique process. In this regard, the following sources from the technological literature for the preparation of the ore are recommended: H. Schubert, Aufbereitung fester mineralischer Stoffe, leipzig 1967; B. Wills, Mineral Processing Technology Plant Design, New York, 1978; D. B. Purchas (ed.), Solid / liquid Separation Equipment Seale-up, Croydon 1977, E. S. Perry, C. J. van Oss, E. Grushka (ed.) Separation and Purification Methods, New York, 1973 - 1978.

A preferred field of use for collecting mixtures usable according to the invention is the preparation of ores such as chelite, barite or apatite.

Preparation example A

In a standard laboratory reactor, 40 g (0.5 moles) of gaseous sulfur trioxide were passed through a tube immersed in 148 g (0.5 moles) of methyl oleate in the course of 50 min. epoxidized technician (epoxide oxygen content 3.5% by weight). The reaction temperature was 30 ° C.

140 g (0.37 moles) of the crude sulfur product thus obtained (sulfur degree 65.9%) were neutralized with 15 S (0.38 moles) of sodium hydroxide in 330 ml of water.

The neutralized mixture was heated to 90 ^θ 0 for 4 h for hydrolysis. The resulting change in pH was compensated with a continuous addition of a total of 3.1 pounds (0.08 moles) of sodium hydroxide. After hydrolysis, the aqueous solution (product A) had the following characteristics:

anionic surfactants (DGE method * H-III-10): 19.0% by weight without sulfur (DGE method * G-ΙΙΙ-β h) 7.3% in disodium salt, referring to the anionic surfactant: 41.6% molar 'German standard methods for testing fats, fat products and the like, obtained from Deutsohen Gesellschet fur Eettwissenschaft, Stuttgart 1950-1981.

Preparation example B ^j

In a Standard laboratory reactor, they were run in the course of 50 min. 40 g (0.5 moles) of gaseous sulfur trioxide, through a tube immersed in 248 g (0.5 moles), of an epoxidized methylene oleate (epoxide oxygen content 3.5% by weight) . The reaction temperature was 30 ° C.

140 g (0.37 moles) of the obtained crude sulfur product (degree of sulfur: 62.6%) were mixed with 29.8 g (0.75 moles) of sodium hydroxide in 660 ml of water. The alloaline mixture was heated at 90 ° C for 4 h for hydrolysis. Then product B, dissolved in water as a clear solution, presented the following characteristic data:

anionic surfactants (DGE method Ξ-ΙΙΙ-100): 15.9% by weight without sulfur (DGE method G-ΙΙΙ-β b): 7.1% by weight of disodium salt, referred to anionic surfactants100% molar

Preparation examples Q to P

Similarly to preparation examples A and B, sulfur trioxide was reacted with the epoxidated methyl oleate described therein, in a molar ratio of 0.8 to 1.2, at 60 to 80 ° C, for 50 min.

By subsequent neutralization and hydrolysis with an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution at 90 ° C, products C to P were obtained in the form of their aqueous solutions.

The conditions of the sulfuration reaction, the degree of sulfurization obtained in each case, the amount of sulfuric epoxide used in the treatment and the total amount of sodium hydroxide used in the preparation examples C to P are shown in Table I below, together with the analytical data for the corresponding products 0 to P. Table I also contains the corresponding values for preparation examples A and B and products A and B.

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Example 1

As the object of the flotation, a chelite ore from Austria was used, which had the following chemical composition, in relation to its main constituents:

0.33% by weight of 7/0 8.8% by weight of CaO 55.8% by weight of SiOg ·

The granulometry of the product for flotation was less than 200 µm.

The products C, D, E and E described in the previous preparation examples were used as collectors. Products C and E were added to the fluctuation suspensions at a dose of 300 g / t and products D and E at a dose of 200 g / t. As a comparison collector, sodium oleate (product X) was used at a dose of 500 g / t. (All collector concentration data refer to the active substance).

The flotation tests were performed in a modified Hallimond tube (microfluture cell) according to B. Dobias, Colloid & Polymer Science, 259 (1981) pages. 771-> -776, using in each test 2 g of ore at 23 ° C and with the pH naturally established. For the preparation of the float suspension, distilled water was used. The conditioning time was 15 min in each case. During the flotation, an air current was passed with an average speed of 4 ml / min. through suspension. The flotation lasted, in all tests, 2 min.

The results of the flotation test with the substances usable according to the invention are shown in Table I, and the presented comparison values were obtained with sodium oleate as the comparison substance.

Table II

Chelite Elutation

Collector Dose (g / t) Yield Concentrate content W0n (%) total (%) W0 ₃ (%) Product C 300 9.1 55 2.0 Product D 200 9.7 57 1.9 Product E 300 9.8 53 1.8 Product E 200 6.7 43 2.1 Product X 500 4.0 34 2.7

In comparison with sodium oleate, the substances usable according to the invention, with lower dosage, led to higher values for WOy yields The WC content in the flotation concentrate, despite the high yield, was not correspondingly less . As for an economical preparation of ores, in the 1 ^. fluctuation step, for sufficient selectivity, the highest possible yield must be obtained with a reduced dose of the collector, the products usable in accordance with the invention offer clear advantages.

Example 2

The object of the fluctuation was a barite ore from Mexico, which had the following chemical composition, in relation to the main constituents:

69 wt% BaSO ^

24% by weight of Si0 ₂

3% by weight of ÁlgOy

Ο product used in the flotation had the following particle size distribution:

39 $ by weight <25 / a 45 $ by weight 25 - 100> a 16 $ by weight> 100 / one.

As oolectors, products A and B described in the examples were used in doses of 230 or 170 g / t. As a comparison collector, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (product Y) nunadose of 500 g / t was used.

The flotation tests were carried out on a laboratory flotation machine (type D2 by Denver E «[uipment with a 1 1 flotation cell). For the preparation of the flotation suspension, water with an Oa ion content of 144 mg / 1 was used. The density of the suspension was 500 g / 1. The deactivator was used in all tests in sodium silicate, at a dose of 1000 g / t. The fluctuation was carried out at pH 9.5-0 deactivator, as well as the collector used in each case, was conditioned for 5 min. at 1100 rpm. The previous concentrate was purified 2 times in the 11 cell without further addition of reagents. For the previous concentrate, and in the following purification steps, they were fluctuated in each case for 6 min. at 1000 rpm.

The results of the flotation tests with the substances usable according to the invention are shown in Table III and there are also the comparison values that were obtained with sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate as a comparison substance.

Table III Fluctuation of barite

Collector Dose (g / t) Focused BaSO content, BaSO yield, (%) (%) Product A 230 95.0 93 Product B 170 96.1 94 Product Y 500 98.8 93

In comparison with sodium dodeeylbenzenesulfonate, in the case of using product B, a result comparable to one third of the dose in the concentrate content and in the yield of BaSO4 can be achieved. Product A floats a corresponding concentrate with a dose which, in comparison with product Y, is halved.

Example 3

As an object of the flotation, a swede apatite ore was used, which, in relation to its main constituents, had the following chemical composition:

11% by weight of PgO ^

35% by weight of Si0 ₂

7% by weight of FegO · ^

21% by weight of CaO.

flotation product had the following granulometric distribution:

42.9% by weight <25 / um 48.7% by weight 25 - 200 / um 8.4% by weight > 200 .um

As collectors, products A and B already described in the examples were used, at a dose of 200 g / t. As a comparison collector, sodium oleate (product X) was used at a dose of 700 g / t.

The flotation tests were performed on the type D 2 laboratory flotation machine described in example 2. The previous flotation was performed on 2 liter cells and the purification fluctuation on 1 liter cells. The density of the suspension was 36% by weight of solids in water with a total hardness of 27 ° dH. As a disabler, in each case, sodium silicate at a dose of 400 g / t was used. Fluctuation was promoted at a pH of about 8, adjusted by the addition of sodium silioate. The de-activator and the collector were each conditioned at 1400 rpm for 5 minutes.

In each case, fluctuation was promoted for 6 minutes at 1200 rpm.

The results of the flotation tests with substances A and B usable according to the invention are shown in Table IV and there are the values for comparison which were obtained with the sodium oleate used as the comparison substance.

Table IV

Apatite fluctuation

Collector Dose (s / t) Concentrated after 2 purifications P _o 0 _{c content} (» ^{2 5} P _o 0 _K yield «) ^{2 5} Product A 200 27.3 91 Product D 200 22.0 98 Product X 700 31.4 58

In comparison with sodium oleate, the substances usable according to the invention, with a considerably lower dose, lead to a substantially higher yield in useful mineral. The particularly high yield also elucidates the much less useful mineral content in the concentrate. As for an economical treatment of the ore, the recovery of the useful mineral and the necessary collector dose for this purpose are essential factors, the products usable according to the invention offer considerable advantages over the traditional apatite collector, sodium oleate.

Claims (10)

CLAIMS wool. - Process for the separation of unsulfurized minerals from an ore, by flotation, in which the ground ore is mixed with water until a suspension is obtained, air is inflated in the suspension in the presence of a collector and the foam formed together is separated with the mineral contained therein, characterized by the use of a fatty acid derivative and / or a fatty acid ester with surfactant properties, which are obtained by reacting epoxidized esters of fatty acids with 1 to 3 moles of trioxide of sulfur per mole of epoxide oxygen, at 20 to 100 ° C, then react the reaction product with nucleophilic reagents, and eventually saponify the ester bond. 2nd. Process according to claim 1, characterized in that the surfactant derivatives of fatty acids and / or fatty acid esters are used in quantities of 50 to 2000 g per metric ton of treated raw ore. 3-. Process according to claim 7, characterized in that the surfactant derivative of fatty acids and / or fatty acid esters is used in an amount of 100 to 1500 g per metric ton of crude ore. 4 ^g . - Process according to at least one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the surfactant derivatives of fatty acids and / or fatty acid esters are used together with known collectors. 5 ^§ . - Process according to at least one of the king -f 21 · vindications 1 to 4-, characterized by the fact that the floated ore is seheelite, barite or apatite. 6 ^. - Process for the preparation of surfactant derivatives of fatty acids and / or their esters, to be used in the flotation of non-sulphide minerals as collectors, characterized by the fact that epoxy esters of fatty acids are reacted with 1 to 3 moles of sulfur trioxide per mole of epoxide oxygen, at 20 to 100 ° C in seconds: the reaction product is reacted with a reagent; nucleophile and eventually saponify the ester bond. 7 &. Process according to claim 6, characterized in that the esters of epoxidized fatty acids are esters of alkyl with 1 to .4 carbon atoms and monounsaturated fatty acids with 16 to 22 carbon atoms or mixtures of fatty acids which consist predominantly of these fatty acids. 8§. Process according to claim 7, characterized in that, as an epoxidized fatty acid ester, technical epoxidated methyl oil oil is used. 9 &. - Process according to at least one of claims 6 to 8, characterized by the use of a hydroxy, alcoholate, phenolate or carboxylate ammonia or a primary, secondary or tertiary amine as the nucleophilic reagent. 10§. Process according to claim 9, characterized in that a hydroxide is used as the nucleophilic reagent. llã. Process according to at least one of claims 6 to 10, characterized in that the reaction product is contacted in aqueous solution with 1 to 2 moles of an alkali metal hydroxide per mole of the sulfur trioxide present in the reaction mixture and heat to the dissociation of the glycolsulfate groups or to the hydrolysis of the ester groups.