Avaliação do uso de Amidoamina na flotação de minério de ferro com alto teor de alumínio

Abstract

This work aimed to study the use of amidoamine for the flotation of iron ore with a significant aluminum content (>7%). We extracted the iron ore used in the study from the Santa Bárbara region, Minas Gerais, Brazil, in the Iron Quadrangle. The objectives were to evaluate the use of amid amine in the flotation of iron ore with a high aluminum content, prepare and characterize the ROM sample and carry out flotation tests, using amidoamine, Flotinor 5530, with variations in the dosage of collectors. To achieve such purposes, the methodology included bibliographic, documentary, qualitative and quantitative research. With the first, we studied and analyzed works by renowned authors in the area, which supported the theoretical argumentation and the discussions of the object of study of this dissertation. In the documentary research, we investigated official documents relevant to the topic. Quantitative research based on numbers, metrics and mathematical calculations allowed us to compile data and, subsequently, quantified them, to carry out analyses and comparisons. In its turn, in qualitative research we described individual ideas, experiences and experiments. The results showed that there was no concentration of iron, since the iron and aluminum contents in the products were practically equal. We investigated aspects such as viscosity, the presence of the mineral goethite as the main constituent of the ore under study and the reaction of amid amine with NaOH, to describe the behavior of the flotation tests, and verify why separation of the ore did not occur. Although the results revealed that there was no selectivity, we concluded that the studies undertaken, provide bases for the practical application of amidoamine in the flotation of iron ore with high aluminum content.