Fluorite and barite in a low-grade associated ore are intimately intergrown, with the content of 21.2% and 41.7% respectively. Thus, it is hard to separate them via flotation process as they possess similar floatability. In view of the characteristics of this ore, a closed-circuit preferential flotation process consisting of one stage of roughing and seven stages of cleaning was adopted in an experiment, producing a high-quality fluorite concentrate with a yield of 15.60%, CaF₂ grade of 97.36% and recovery of 70.43%, while the BaSO₄ content therein was reduced to only 0.77%. In flotation process, the synergistic effect between inorganic and organic depressants can strengthen the depression of barite and significantly improve the selectivity of fluorite collector, resulting in an efficient separation of fluorite and barite.

fluorite  /  barite  /  preferential flotation  /  collector  /  depressant  /  synergistic effect