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| Brand Name: | Y&X |
| Model Number: | KYF II Flotation Machine |
| MOQ: | 1 Set |
| Price: | Negotiate |
| Delivery Time: | 15-30 working days |
| Payment Terms: | L/C,T/T |
Spodumene (LiAlSi2O6) is the dominant hard-rock lithium mineral, and flotation is the standard route to a concentrate that can be sold to a converter or shipped as chemical-grade feed. Our cells cover 4 m³ to 160 m³ effective volume, so the same design serves pilot banks and multi-thousand-tonne concentrators.
Route selection follows liberation size and gangue mineralogy, not preference.
| Ore Condition | Route | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Coarse liberation, low mica, low slimes | Dense media separation (DMS) | Cheap per tonne, no reagents, but recovery drops sharply when the ore reports fines |
| Fine dissemination, high mica or clay | Flotation | Only flotation recovers the fine fraction; slimes must be removed first |
| Mixed coarse and fine | DMS plus flotation on the fines | DMS removes coarse concentrate early, flotation handles the fine stream |
Most new hard-rock projects still need a flotation section, because DMS alone leaves the fines unrecovered.
Spodumene ore is a pegmatite: the lithium mineral sits with feldspar, quartz and mica, and the valuable mineral is coarse but brittle. Two factors decide the result. Slimes must be removed before conditioning, otherwise fine mica and clay consume collector and coat bubble surfaces. And the anionic collector regime at alkaline pH is sensitive to pulp density, conditioning time and temperature, so steady pulp flow matters more than raw impeller power.
The cell separates agitation from aeration, so froth depth and air rate stay steady while the reagent regime is tuned.
| Ore Type | Main Challenge | Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Pegmatite spodumene, low mica | Separating spodumene from feldspar and quartz | Desliming, alkaline conditioning, rougher plus multi-stage cleaning |
| Mica-rich spodumene ore | Mica floats readily and dilutes the concentrate | Mica pre-flotation or depressant addition, tighter froth control |
| Fine disseminated or clay-rich ore | Slime coating and high reagent consumption | Thorough desliming, staged reagent addition, lower agitation intensity |
| Concentrate with iron bearing gangue | Iron limits the grade acceptable to converters | Magnetic separation after flotation, or combined gravity-flotation flowsheet |
Cell sizing follows pulp flow rather than ore tonnage alone. As a working reference: 100 tpd usually corresponds to 2–6 m³/min of pulp flow and suits 4–16 m³ cells; 300 tpd suits 16–40 m³; 500 tpd and above suits 40–160 m³. Final sizing is confirmed once pulp density and flotation time are fixed in test work.
The market reference for spodumene concentrate is 6% Li2O. Whether a circuit reaches it depends on feed grade, liberation and iron content, confirmed by locked-cycle test work rather than by the cell alone. The flotation stage must deliver a clean, low-iron rougher concentrate, which is why many spodumene plants pair the bank with an automatic reagent dosing system.
| Model | Effective Volume (m³) | Capacity (m³/min) | Impeller Dia. (m) | Motor Power (kW) | Air Pressure (kPa) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KYF II-4 | 4 | 1–4 | 0.55 | 7.5 | >15 |
| KYF II-8 | 8 | 2–8 | 0.63 | 15 | >19 |
| KYF II-16 | 16 | 4–16 | 0.74 | 22 | >23 |
| KYF II-24 | 24 | 6–24 | 0.80 | 37 | >27 |
| KYF II-40 | 40 | 8–38 | 1.05 | 55 | >32 |
| KYF II-70 | 70 | 13–50 | 1.12 | 90 | >35 |
| KYF II-100 | 100 | 20–60 | 1.26 | 132 | >40 |
| KYF II-160 | 160 | 20–60 | 1.35 | 160 | >48 |
Spodumene circuits run at alkaline pH with a high silica load, which attacks wear parts differently from sulfide duty. Rubber lining performs well where abrasion dominates, but alkali resistance and tear strength decide service life in the froth zone. For plants running high silica and coarse feed, high alumina ceramic or silicon carbide composite rotors and impellers usually outlast polyurethane. All parts follow standard KYF II dimensions, so an existing spodumene plant can change material grade without modifying the cell. See the full flotation wear parts range.
Q1: Can this machine float spodumene from feldspar and quartz?
A: Yes. Separation depends on desliming and the collector regime; the cell provides the pulp and aeration conditions those reagents need.
Q2: What Li2O grade can be reached?
A: 6% Li2O is the market reference, but the achievable grade follows your ore. Locked-cycle test work on your sample is the only reliable basis.
Q3: Is a blower required?
A: Yes. Air is supplied externally and controlled independently of the impeller, which is what keeps froth stable during reagent tuning.
Q4: Which size for a 300 tpd plant?
A: Generally 16–40 m³ cells; the number of units follows flotation time and pulp flow from test work.
Cells ship by sea in wooden cases or containers, assembled or in sections by cell size, launder and froth cone included.
We build flotation cells, wear parts, reagent dosing systems and conditioning tanks as one equipment scope, so the bank, reagent feed and conditioning stage are sized together instead of by three suppliers. Machines run in gold, copper, lead-zinc, fluorite, molybdenum, iron and antimony operations.
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