Multiscale Flotation Testing for the Recovery of REE-Bearing Fluorapatite from a Finnish Carbonatite Complex Deposit Using Conventional Collectors and Lignin NanoparticlesShow others and affiliations
2025 (English)In: Minerals, E-ISSN 2075-163X, Vol. 15, no 6, article id 614
Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Apatite and rare earth elements (REEs) are vital to the European Union’s economic growth and resource security, given their essential roles in fertilizers, green technologies, and high-tech applications. To meet rising demand and reduce reliance on imports, the exploitation of domestic deposits has become increasingly important. This study investigates the beneficiation potential of ore from a carbonatite complex (Finland), focusing on the recovery of fluorapatite concentrate through froth flotation. This research addresses two key objectives: evaluating the potential for REE enrichment alongside fluorapatite concentration using conventional anionic and amine-based reagents, and assessing separation efficiency when partially substituting the most effective conventional collectors with bio-based organosolv lignin nanoparticles. Adequate recovery rates for apatite and REEs were achieved using common anionic collectors, such as hydroxamate and sarcosine, yielding P grades of 23.4% and 21.5%, and recoveries of 96.4% and 89.2%, respectively. Importantly, concentrate quality remained stable with up to a 30% reduction in conventional collectors and the addition of organosolv lignin. Bench-scale trials further validated the approach, demonstrating that lanthanum and cerium recoveries exceeded 71%, alongside satisfactory apatite recovery. Lignin nanoparticles were observed to interact with both minerals; however, the interaction was more pronounced in the case of phlogopite, which exhibited a markedly greater increase in surface hydrophilicity following treatment, suggesting a stronger affinity or surface modification effect, which was beneficial to the performance of the separation process.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) , 2025. Vol. 15, no 6, article id 614
Keywords [en]
froth flotation, apatite, Rare Earth Elements (REEs), organosolv lignin, phlogopite
National Category
Metallurgy and Metallic Materials
Research subject
Biochemical Process Engineering
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-114018DOI: 10.3390/min15060614ISI: 001520701800001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105009024422OAI: oai:DiVA.org:ltu-114018DiVA, id: diva2:1982558
Note
Validerad;2025;Nivå 2;2025-07-08 (u2);
Full text: CC BY License;
Funder: EIT Raw Materials research and innovation program, Proposal Number 19392;
2025-07-082025-07-082025-11-28Bibliographically approved