Flotation separation depressant for scheelite and calcium-bearing minerals: A review

Due to the depletion of wolframite resources, the development focus of tungsten resources has gradually shifted to scheelite, making the recycling of scheelite resources a hot research topic. Researchers are particularly concerned about the separation of scheelite from calcium-bearing minerals. Because calcium-bearing gangue minerals associated with scheelite (such as apatite, fluorite, and calcite) have similar surface physicochemical properties to scheelite in pulp, it is impossible to separate scheelite from them using oleate collectors selectively. Researchers have made significant progress in recent years by using depressants as a breakthrough in their research. The development status, mechanism, reagent combination, and application of depressants in calcium-containing minerals were reviewed in this research. Their benefits and drawbacks were objectively assessed to offer a theoretical foundation for the future development of scheelite flotation depressants.