Development History of Mineral Processing Reagents in our country

Since the 1940s, mineral processing reagents in my country have undergone great changes from nothing to something, from few to many, from research and development to production. At the beginning, liquid ethyl xanthate, liquid butyl xanthate, solid ethyl xanthate, solid butyl xanthate, white xanthate, No. 25 black xanthate, No. 31 black xanthate and other reagents with few varieties were produced. They gradually developed and grew, and experienced rapid development in the 1960s and 1970s, especially after the reform and opening up.

So far, there are more than 200 varieties of reagents in my country, and nearly 100 are commonly used. The products cover collectors, frothers, adjusters, inhibitors used for metal sulfide ores and oxide ores, non-metallic ores, rare and precious metals, and other reagents for various uses in mining development. In addition to being sold in the domestic market, the products are also exported to more than 30 countries in five continents including Australia, Europe, Africa, America, and Asia.

In the research and development of new agents, many scientific research institutions and manufacturers across the country have done a lot of work, inheriting, innovating and developing, so that new agents and new agent preparation processes continue to emerge.

For example, oxide ore collectors include: RST, RA, ROB, MOS, TF-2. F968. R-2. P303. GY-2. Y-17. F303. etc.;

Sulfide ore collectors include Y-89 series, MA series, No. 36 black medicine, MOS-2. Mac-10. P-60. PN, ZY101. SK-1. XF-3. BK-302. AP, PAC (Aero-5100), etc.

Foaming agents include 730 series, KM-109 series, R6 series, T-622. FX-12J, etc.

Adjusters (inhibitors, activators) include PAM-11. PAM-C, CTP, DZ-1. Sth, TSD, SDF, BD, etc.

These new agents usually have their common characteristics:

(1) According to the composition, content, selectivity and capture characteristics of homologues and derivatives in petrochemical and oil chemical products or by-products, necessary effective ingredients are added and processed and refined.

(2) Two or more agents of the same or different types are used in combination to exert synergistic effects, or a certain proportion of synergists, activators, emulsifiers, and dispersants are added to the original main agents and then used in combination.

(3) The original conventional effective agents are modified, that is, new functional groups (such as hydroxyl, amino, nitro, phosphonic acid, sulfate, sulfonic acid, hydroxyoxime and halogen, etc.) are introduced into the original agents in a targeted manner, thereby improving the capture, selectivity and recycling efficiency of the agents for minerals.

Since the end of the 20th century, the research and production of flotation reagents has developed rapidly. In the development and research of reagents, people at home and abroad attach great importance to the development of environmentally friendly reagents, the development of green reagents that are non-toxic, low-toxic, and highly biodegradable, and will not cause pollution and environmental disasters. Researchers have positioned the development of reagents on new drugs that are highly efficient and harmless, have a wide source of raw materials, and are relatively cheap.

In terms of research methods, on the one hand, starting from the structure and performance of the reagents, research on new and efficient reagents, and pay special attention to the modification and combination of existing effective reagents. Modification is to introduce new groups (functional groups) into the original reagents, change single functional groups or polar groups into multiple functional groups, and give play to the synergistic effect of the reagent molecules. Combination is the combination and compounding of different reagents. Establish scientific and effective prescriptions and pharmaceutical systems to give play to the synergistic effect and synergistic effect of different reagents. Design and search for new drugs based on the structural properties of the reagents. Coordination chemistry and surfactant chemistry play an important role in the research and development of reagents, especially chelating reagents.

On the other hand, it is to use old drugs in new ways, turning old drugs into new drugs and high-efficiency drugs. The method is to add substances such as activators, promoters, emulsifiers, and synergists to give full play to the functional effects of the original drugs. Another way is to improve the original synthesis process and use chemical and physical methods to improve the effect of drugs. The purpose is to improve productivity and product quality, reduce the cost and consumption of drugs, or achieve green production with zero three waste emissions.

In the study of flotation agents, while paying attention to collectors, people have a new understanding of the role of inhibitors and frothers in mineral flotation. Therefore, papers on the mechanism of action of inhibitors and frothers, improving sorting effects, and promoting bubble mineralization are common. New agents (such as inhibitors, activators, etc.) and prescription compounding and combinations are also reported from time to time.

At the same time, faced with the increasingly depleted and impure world mineral resources, in order to save resources, reduce resource consumption, improve the level of comprehensive utilization and extend the life of resources, the research on reagents is no longer limited to flotation reagents. Extensive and in-depth research, development and use have been carried out in all links of the mining development and mineral processing chain.