US4377472A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Phosphate flotation
Assignee: WR Grace and Co Conn
•
Filing: 1978-11-01
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Granted: 1983-03-22
•
Expires: 1998-11-01
Abstract
Abstract Use of reverse flotation for phosphate rock ore treatment, wherein starch is added first to depress phosphate rock particles, followed by addition of cationic reagent, e.g., amine to float the silica. Phosphate rock is recovered as sink concentrate and silica is recovered as float tailings.
Inventors
- 👤 Howard L. Allen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 21:08
CPC Classifications
B; B03; B03D; B03D1/00; B03D1/02; B03D1/021; B03D1/001; B03D1/004; B03D1/006; B03D1/01; B03D1/016; B03D2201/00; B03D2201/02; B03D2201/06; B03D2203/00; B03D2203/02; B03D2203/04; B03D2203/06
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
45 words
The method of reverse flotation for silica-containing phosphate rock ore, comprising adding potato or corn starch to the ore to depress phosphate rock particles, followed by adding cationic reagent to float the silica, and recovering phosphate rock as sink concentrate and silica as float tailings.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
45 words
The method of reverse flotation for silica-containing phosphate rock ore, comprising adding potato or corn starch to the ore to depress phosphate rock particles, followed by adding cationic reagent to float the silica, and recovering phosphate rock as sink concentrate and silica as float tailings.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method according to claim 1 in which the ore is a rougher concentrate from a previous flotation.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
77 words
In the flotation separation of phosphate values from silica gangue in crude phosphate ore pulps where a cationic collector reagent is used for the silica and the ore pulp is subjected to flotation to provide a phosphate concentrate and silica tailings, the improvement comprising first treating the ore pulp with potato or corn starch, then treating the ore pulp with the cationic collector, whereby phosphate concentrate is obtained as underflow and silica tailings are obtained as overflow.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
77 words
In the flotation separation of phosphate values from silica gangue in crude phosphate ore pulps where a cationic collector reagent is used for the silica and the ore pulp is subjected to flotation to provide a phosphate concentrate and silica tailings, the improvement comprising first treating the ore pulp with potato or corn starch, then treating the ore pulp with the cationic collector, whereby phosphate concentrate is obtained as underflow and silica tailings are obtained as overflow.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method according to claim 3 in which the ore pulp is a rougher concentrate.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
70 words
In the method of recovering phosphate ore by flotation of a crude phosphate ore containing phosphate rock particles and silica, the improvement comprising conditioning the ore as a slurry with potato or corn starch followed by treatment of the ore pulp with an amine collector for silica, followed by flotation whereby the phosphate rock particles sink and are recovered as concentrate, and the silica floats and is recovered as tailings.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
70 words
In the method of recovering phosphate ore by flotation of a crude phosphate ore containing phosphate rock particles and silica, the improvement comprising conditioning the ore as a slurry with potato or corn starch followed by treatment of the ore pulp with an amine collector for silica, followed by flotation whereby the phosphate rock particles sink and are recovered as concentrate, and the silica floats and is recovered as tailings.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method according to claim 5 in which the starch is potato starch.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method according to claim 6 in which the starch is corn starch.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
53 words
The method according to claim 5 in which the phosphate rock concentrate is recovered as a rougher concentrate and is further treated with additional amine and is further subjected to a flotation process for the recovery of phosphate rock particles as the sink cleaner concentrate and the silica is removed as float tailings.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method according to claim 5 in which the initial phosphate ore feed analyzes at least 5% BPL.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method according to claim 9 in which the feed analyzes 10-45% BPL.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
26 words
Method according to claim 10 in which BPL recovery in the phosphate concentrate is at least 80% and the BPL content of the concentrate is 65-80%.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method according to claim 5 in which silica tailings are admixed with slimes from a phosphate rock preparation source, whereby the amine and starch content of the tailings flocculates the clay suspended in the slimes and facilitates settling of the mixture.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method according to claim 12 in which the slimes is about 10% of the tailings.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1986-03-21 | 1986-09-20 | 1987-03-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1990-03-21 | 1990-09-20 | 1991-03-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1994-03-21 | 1994-09-20 | 1995-03-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |