Beneficiation of potash ores

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE RECOVERY OF SYLVITE FROM SYLVINITE ORE WHICH COMPRISES SLURRYING A POTASH ORE CONTAINING SYLVITE, WHILE IN A STATE OF SUBDIVISION SUFFICIENT TO SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY LIBERATE THE SYLVITE FROM THE OTHER COMPONENTS OF THE ORE WITH BRINE SATURATED AT LEAST WITH RESPECT TO SYLVITE, REAGENTIZING THE SLURRIED ORE WITH A REAGENT HAVING A PREFERENTIAL AFFINITY FOR THE SYLVITE, SUBJECTING THE REAGENTIZED SLURRY TO A FIRST FLOTATION OPERATION IN A PLURALITY OF ROUGHER FLOATATION CELLS CONNECTED IN SERIES, RECOVERING THE FLOAT PRODUCTS FROM SAID FIRST FLOTATION OPERATION IN AT LEAST TWO SEPARATE PORTIONS, ONE FLOAT PORTION INCLUDING THE FLOAT PRODUCT FROM AT LEAST THE FIRST OF THE SERIES OF ROUGHER FLOTATION CELLS AND THE SECOND PORTION INCLUDING THE FLOAT PRODUCT FROM AT LEAST THE LAST OF THE SERIES OF ROUGHER FLOTATION CELLS WHILE EMPLOYING A GREATER OVERFLOW VOLUME OF BRINE THAN EMPOLYED IN AT LEAST THE FIRST OF SAID SERIES OF ROUGHER FLOTATION CELLS, SUBJECTING SAID FIRST PORTION TO A SECOND FLOTATION OPERATION, SEPARATELY RECOVERING THE FLOAT PRODUCT OF SAID SECOND FLOTATION OPERATION AND THE NON-FLOAT PRODUCT OF SAID SECOND FLOTATION OPERATION, SUBJECTING THE SECOND FLOAT PORTION FROM SAID FIRST FLOTATION OPERATION AND AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE NON-FLOAT PRODUCT OF SAID SECOND FLOTATION OPERATION TO A CLASSIFICATION OPERATION, AND SEPARATELY RECOVERING A SMALL SIZE FRACTION AND A LARGER SIZE FRACTION FROM THE CLASSIFICATION OPERATION, AND RECYCLING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID SMALL SIZE FRACTION TO SAID FIRST FLOTATION OPERATION.