Bench scale and pilot plant flotation tests with phosphate rock from the Alto Paranaíba Region/MG, Brazil

This paper highlights the significant advances in phosphate recovery in the Alto Paranaíba region, Minas Gerais, as a result of collaboration between RJMG and the local mining industry. The applied methodology focused on the development and use of the innovative AGEM B plant collector, going from laboratory tests to pilot plant tests. The results demonstrated the superiority of AGEM B compared to standard collectors, where a 14.1% increase in P2O5 recovery and a 40% reduction in collector dosage were observed. On a pilot scale, the average P2O5 content in the rougher tailings was 1.66 ± 0.29%, 38.40% lower than that obtained with the collector used by the mining company (a fatty acid) which presented an average content of 2.69 %. The average P2O5 content in the recleaner concentrate was 32.15 ± 2.59%, 8.27% higher than that obtained with fatty acid (average of 35.05%). Increases of 43.59% in mass recovery (average of 11.20 ± 1.31%) and 36.28% in metallurgical recovery (average of 71.00 ± 4.82%) were observed. This work highlights the importance of innovation and strategic collaboration to overcome challenges in mineral processing, recommending the use of AGEM B on an industrial scale for better efficiency and sustainability in the phosphate recovery process.