Patent ID: 8757389

Claim:
A method for beneficiation of an ore, comprising: dispersing a urea-formaldehyde resin and one or more chelating agents in an aqueous slurry comprising an ore to provide a dispersed mixture comprising about 400 grams to about 1,000 grams of the urea-formaldehyde resin per metric ton of the ore, wherein the urea-formaldehyde resin has a concentration of free formaldehyde of less than 1%, based on the total weight of the urea-formaldehyde resin and consists essentially of a cyclic urea-formaldehyde resin that is formed by reacting a monomer mixture consisting of about 0.1 mole to about 1 mole urea, about 0.1 mole to about 3 moles formaldehyde, and about 0.1 mole to about 1 mole ammonia, wherein the urea-formaldehyde resin is stabilized by reacting with an alcohol comprising ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, or isobutanol, and wherein the one or more chelating agents is selected from the group consisting of hydroxyethylenediaminetriacetic acid, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, diethyltriaminepentaacetic, and nitrilotriacetic acid; forcing air through the dispersed mixture and having a relatively hydrophobic fraction float to the surface and a relatively hydrophilic fraction sink to the bottom; and collecting a commercially salable product from either fraction, wherein the commercially salable product is selected from the group consisting of lime, sulfate, gypsum, iron, platinum, gold, palladium, titanium, molybdenum, copper, uranium, chromium, tungsten, manganese, magnesium, lead, zinc, clay, coal, silver, graphite, nickel, bauxite, borax, borate, bitumen, and phosphate.