Rock spodumene is one of the main sources of lithium. It is produced in muscovite-type and lepidolite-type granite pegmatites. It is a metasomatic mineral in the process of pegmatite action. It is often associated with lepidolite, beryl, niobium-tantalum iron. Ore, tourmaline, muscovite and other symbiosis, and belong to silicate minerals like these gangue ores. In beneficiation technology, spodumene often uses flotation method to purify lithium ore. Let’s learn about spodumene flotation method.
Flotation is the most important beneficiation method for spodumene, especially the spodumene that exists in the form of fine-grained dissemination. During the flotation of spodumene, usually by adding “NaOH, Na2CO3, Na2S, oxidized paraffin soap, naphthenic acid soap” to complete the selection process of target minerals. Among the flotation methods, spodumene commonly used are positive flotation method, reverse flotation method and combined flotation method.

Spodumene positive flotation method
The positive flotation of spodumene is completed in an alkaline medium. An anionic collector is often used. The ground minerals are added to a strong alkaline medium to perform high-concentration and strong stirring operations. The ore pulp is extracted under the action of alkalinity, and after several times of scrubbing and desliming, fatty acid or soap collectors are added to directly float spodumene.
Since the added sodium hydroxide reacts with the silicate gangue minerals in the slurry, and generates sodium silicate (water glass) inhibitor, the sulfur dioxide (SiO2) leached from the surface of the spodumene is activated, while the Stone minerals form insoluble compounds due to the activated cations (iron, calcium, copper, etc.) on the surface, which are then inhibited to achieve flotation of spodumene.

Spodumene reverse flotation method
The spodumene reverse flotation process is also completed in an alkaline medium, mainly using lime, starch and dextrin as inhibitors, terpineol oil as a foaming agent, in alkaline medium (pH 10.5~11.0) conditions Dextrin can effectively inhibit spodumene, and then amine cationic collectors are used to collect silicate gangue minerals such as quartz, feldspar, and mica to realize reverse flotation.

Spodumene combined flotation method
If it is difficult to obtain qualified spodumene concentrates from lean, fine and miscellaneous spodumene by a single flotation method, a combined flotation method is required. At present, flotation-magnetic separation and flotation-magnetic Election-reelection method.
Flotation-magnetic separation method: First, oxidized paraffin soap and naphthenic acid soap are used as combined collectors, NaOH is used as pH adjuster, and the flotation process of one coarse and one refined is used in alkaline pulp to obtain spodumene. The concentrate is then subjected to strong magnetic separation for iron removal to obtain spodumene concentrate with low iron content.
Flotation-magnetic separation-gravity separation method: After the milled material is slurried, it enters the gravity separation stage (removal of tantalum, niobium and other products). The wax soap is slurried, and the spodumene concentrate is floated under the condition of high alkalinity, and then the iron impurities are further removed by strong magnetic separation for purification.

In the actual beneficiation plant, the beneficiation process of spodumene should be determined according to the properties of its ore. Therefore, we recommend that a beneficiation test be conducted first, and a suitable beneficiation process should be scientifically and reasonably customized according to the test results, so as to avoid improper beneficiation process and waste of resources.