General Mills Plus Values:
SEPARATE WEALTH FROM WASTE!
Separating wealth from waste, purities from impurities, is a challenge in many industries— perhaps in yours. Thus, there is universal interest in what the mining industry has done toward perfecting the flotation and liquid ion exchange beneficiation processes; for nowhere is the scope of separating wealth from waste so spectacular, or efficiency so essential, as in mining. For example, it's a good potash ore that contains 35% KC1. This must be concentrated, normally by amine flotation, to at least 97% purity to meet minimum industry standards. Thus, the only significant criterion for evaluating a flotation reagent is functional efficiency— the value added to a concentrate per dollar spent on beneficiation.
S E L E C T I V I T Y M A G N I F I E D This 16 diameter magnification shows silica particles treated with General Mills' ALAMAC 26 clinging to air bubbles rising in a simulated flotation cell. I t is the highly selective adsorption of ALAMAC 26 onto the silica (which changes the surface from hydrophilic to airophilic), for example, which permits the separation of silica from phosphate ore.
This is the basis on which General Mills became one of the top suppliers of amines to the mining industry. Of the billion-dollar bonanza recovered yearly by the flotation process, a hefty part is nonmetallic minerals floated by General Mills' ALAMINE® primary amines (RNH2) and ALAMAC® primary amine acetates (RNHf CH 3 COO-). Soon, low grade taconite—once worthless, now magnetically upgraded to a respectable 65-66% iron content—may be made far more valuable to the steel industry by further reduction of silica content.
Potash Flotation Cells at Duval Corp., Carlsbad, New Mexico.
The Colorado School of Mines Research Foundation, Inc. is commissioned to complement and implement our own research. A new experimental flotation cell and new amine applications laboratories have been installed at Kankakee. The amine value of our products (see product chart) has been increased. Current research covers both the amine hydrometallurgical processes. While flotation has had the greatest commercial impact so far, the potential of LIX Reagents puts Aladdin's Lamp in the candle category. LIX Reagents show excellent promise for the separation of cobalt from nickel, acids from acids; separation and recovery of tungsten and molybdenum, columbium and tantalum, zirconium and hafnium, vanadium and rare earths; recovery of chromium from plating baths; purification of industrial waste water, process streams and even food and pharmaceutical products. Besides their high selectivity and efficiency in separating closely related elements, LIX Reagents permit complete a u t o m a t i o n of t h e beneficiation process—from mine to rail line.
More than half the acid-leached uranium ores in the U.S. are processed by liquid ion exchange (LIX® Reagents) — the amine-based process pioneered and perfected by General Mills in cooperation with the mining industry. A new General Mills development utilizing LIX Reagents provides the key for recovering the wealth of copper value in high lime oxide ore. PRINCIPAL GENERAL MILLS AMINES FOR BENEFICIATION
Product
Flotation Reagent % Amine Content
Amine Number
Iodine Value
207-211 min. 210-218
40-48
95 min. primary
207-211
4.5 max.
98 min. primary
210-218
4.5 max.
Alamine 2 6 * Primary tallow amine Alamine 26D* Distilled primary tallow amine Alamine H26* Primary hydrogenated tallow amine Alamine H26D* Distilled hydrogenated tallow amine Alamine 336 LIX Reagents tricaprylyl Tertiary amine
95% min. Tertiary
Aliquat® 336 Tricaprylyl Methyl Ammonium Chloride
88% Active
95 min. primary 98 min. primary
40-48
*Acetate forms also available as ALAMACS
Perfecting the products and processes which will make all this possible—as well as practical— is a top priority assignment at General Mills. A special beneficiation task force has been organized to work closely with the mining industry.
Vanadium Extraction Plant at Climax Uranium Co., Grand Junction, Colorado, utilizes LIX Reagent ALIQUAT 336.
If your job involves the separation of wealth from waste, we'd like to discuss it with you. Serving as an extension of your own laboratory, chances are we can help you utilize amine products and processes more profitably. This is a PLUS VALUE General Mills adds to every order of fatty nitrogen chemicals. For more information on any of the products or processes mentioned in this report, drop us a line at General Mills, Inc., Dept. CE2, Kankakee, Illinois. We'll also send you our technical bulletin: Fatty Nitrogen Chemicals in Mineral Concentration.
Alamine, Alamac, Aliquat and LIX are registered Trademarks of General Mills.
CHEMICALS GENERAL MILLS
PUIS VALUESt
