Alkali Corrosion Pretreatment for Enhanced Lepidolite Flotation with Anionic Collector

Lepidolite, as a lithium-rich mineral, plays a crucial role in the recovery of lithium resources. This study presents the use of alkali corrosion as a surface pretreatment technique for lepidolite to improve its flotation recovery, and investigates its mechanism on the lepidolite surface. The flotation results demonstrate that, using NaOl as the collector and with the synergistic activation of alkali corrosion and Ca2+, the maximum recovery of lepidolite can reach 92.61%. Contact angle measurements, high-speed cameras, scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were employed to observe changes in surface wettability, flocculation, morphology, and reagent adsorption. The findings indicated that alkali corrosion pretreatment, in conjunction with Ca2+ activation, modifies the lepidolite surface and enhances the adsorption of the collector on its surface.