METHOD OF EXTRACTING DIAMONDS FROM GANGUE MINERALS Russian patent published in 2011 - IPC C01B31/06 B03B5/44 

FIELD: chemistry.

SUBSTANCE: invention can be used in the chemical and mining industry. Diamonds are extracted from a suspension by adding to the suspension a water conditioner selected from silicates, phosphates or phosphonates, and a hydrophobicity increasing reagent which is at least partially adsorbed on the diamonds. The hydrophobocity increasing reagent is a hydrophobic polymer or oligomer selected from a group comprising alkyd resins, saturated or unsaturated polyether resins, maleinised unsaturated fatty acids and their ethers and triglycerides, alkenyl succinic anhydrides, alkyl- and alkenyl ketone dimers, aliphatic hydroxane acids, alkoxy hydroxane acids, alkenoyl hydroxane acids, polymethacrylates, copolymers of styrene with maleic anhydride, copolymers of styrene with acrylic acid, polyurethane dispersions, silicon oils, hydrophobically modified water-soluble polymers and combinations thereof. The water conditioner used can be sodium silicate in amount of 300 mg/l, and the hydrophobicity increasing reagent used is a flax-seed oil polymer obtained via thermal polymerisation of flax-seed oil in the presence of maleic anyhydride and in the absence of oxygen.

EFFECT: invention increases hydrophobicity, and consequently improves diamond floatation.

26 cl, 13 tbl, 13 ex