Abstract: Flotation is the most common method to recover valuable minerals by selective adsorption of collectors on target mineral surfaces. However, in subsequent hydrometallurgy of mineral flotation concentrates, the adsorbed collectors must be desorbed since it can adversely affect the efficiency of metallurgical process and produce wastewater. ZL, as a fatty acid mixture, is a typical industrially used collector for scheelite flotation in China. Sodium oleate (NaOL) has similar fatty acid group as ZL. In this study, the desorption behavior of NaOL/ZL from scheelite surface by a physical method of stirring at a low temperature was investigated. NaOL desorption tests of single mineral showed that a desorption rate of 77.75% for NaOL from scheelite surface into pulp was achieved in a stirring speed of 2500 r/min at 5°C in a neutral environment. Under the above desorption condition, in the pulp containing desorbed collector by adding extra 30% normal NaOL dosage, the scheelite recovery reached about 95% in the single mineral flotation test. Desorption and reuse of ZL collector for the flotation of real scheelite ore showed only a 75% normal dosage of ZL could produce a qualified rough concentrate. The atomic force microscope (AFM) tests showed that after desorption treatment of low temperature and strong stirring, the dense strip-like structure of NaOL on the scheelite surface was destroyed to be speck-like. Molecular dynamics simulations (MDS) demonstrated that the adsorption energy between NaOL and scheelite surface was more negative at 25°C (−13.39 kcal/mol) than at 5°C (−11.50 kcal/mol) in a neutral pH, indicating that a low temperature was beneficial for the desorption of collector from mineral surface. Due to its simplicity and economy, the method we proposed of desorption of collector from mineral surface and its reuse for flotation has a great potential for industrial application.