Hemimorphite Flotation with 1-Hydroxydodecylidene-1,1-diphosphonic Acid and Its Mechanism

1-hydroxydodecylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid (HDDPA) was prepared and first applied in flotation of hemimorphite. HDDPA exhibited superior flotation performances for recovery of hemimorphite in comparison with lauric acid, and it also possessed good selectivity against quartz flotation under pH 7.0–11.0. Contact angle results revealed that HDDPA preferred to attach on hemimorphite rather than quartz and promoted the hydrophobicity of hemimorphite surfaces. In the presence of HDDPA anions, the zeta potential of hemimorphite particles shifted to more negative value even if hemimorphite was negatively charged, inferring a strong chemisorption of hemimorphite to HDDPA. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) recommended that HDDPA might anchor on hemimorphite surfaces through bonding the oxygen atoms of its P(=O)–O groups with surface Zn(II) atoms. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) gave additional evidence that the Zn(II)-HDDPA surface complexes were formed on hemimorphite.