Systematic review of feldspar beneficiation and its comprehensive application

Feldspar is a valuable raw material in the manufacture of glass, ceramic, fillers, enamel frits, and welding electrodes. Feldspar is the single most abundant mineral in the earth crust and is generally associated with other silicate, titanium, and iron minerals. As a result, beneficiation of feldspar is necessary to obtain high-grade materials for industrial use. However, the beneficiation of feldspar ores from other silicate gangues is very difficult owing to their similarities in physical-chemical properties. Hydrofluoric acid (HF), which is the main regulator used in the flotation of feldspar, may cause serious environmental and health-related problems. Therefore, to satisfy the quality of advanced materials, the concentration of feldspar using clean and efficient methods remains a formidable challenge. This paper reviews the beneficiation technology and mechanism of feldspar proposed in the literature to identify the important parameters. This review indicates that crystal structure, monovalent salts, flotation reagents, and particle size distribution are important factors in the process. Environmentally-friendly principle and economic viability of various methods are discussed, and potential technologies are suggested. Mixed cationic/anionic collectors appear to be a promising method for feldspar flotation. Moreover, the combination of gravity and flotation shows great potential in feldspar beneficiation. Various approaches for the selective flotation of feldspar and perspectives for further investigation are proposed.