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By Z. K. Liu

Production of the amines collectors and cation surfactant gives out the liquid waste containing high COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) and ammonium & nitrogen, which is difficult to be treated with conventional biological method to reach waste water discharge standard. In this paper an engineering practice of treatment on the liquid waste by the technology combined high effective microbe with A/O (Anaerobic& aerobic) process is presented. The quality of treated water comes up to class A national standard for discharging.

Jan 1, 2014

By Y. Nahmad- Molinari

We present a novel on line inductive sensor for the determination of the quality of the concentrates of iron ores. This device is coupled with a cheap USB Data Acquisition System that makes it versatile enough to simultaneously control up to seven fluxes at a very low cost (< $300 US dollars), and achieves a resolution better than 0.5 % on the determination of the magnetic iron content in the concentrate. A RLC circuit with its inductive element placed surrounding a sample of pure magnetite concentrate is tuned at its resonance frequency, by means of adjusting, the feeding voltage of a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) and several samples with mixtures of different contents of silica and magnetite are placed in order to get a calibration curve. After some signal conditioning, a National Instruments USB-DAQ NI-6008, acquires the amplitude of the signal via USB port on a PC using a Lab-View program designed for such purpose, in which the calibration curve is used for on-screen data presentation directly in percent of magnetite content. The implementation of this device for control purposes on line directly placed on the concentrators would allow better efficiency of the process and higher quality of the final concentrate by con-trolling; the rotation speed, the rising or dilution water fluxes or bypasses towards milling recirculation cycles.

Jan 1, 2014

By Peter Ay, Bodo Müller, Jens Markowski, Manfred Kanthak, Florian Logsch

"Presently the global commodity situation for non ferrous-, precious- and rare metals is characterized by a strong increase in consumption and a simultaneous shortage of materials derived from primary sources. So the use of secondary raw materials gains is important due to economic and ecological reasons. Non Ferrous-, precious- and rare earth metals were detected in household waste (Municipal solid waste, MSW) for years. In MSW-treatments plants NF-metals are actually mostly separated from dried fractions. The separation of these metals is carried out with the aim of removing particles which disrupt further processing. A selective enrichment of individual non-ferrous metals has not been carried out previously. The separated fractions contain mixtures of Al, Cu, Zn, Pb, Sn, alloys, precious metals (e. g. Au, Ag, Pt) and rare metals (Ga, In, Nd etc.) along with considerable amounts of contaminations. The R&D project "NE-Rec" selectively processes the coarsely separated non-ferrous-metal-conglomerates increasing the concentration of targeted metals. Metals and metal mixtures are concentrated by sorting steps and the impurities are discharged from the process. Still contaminated precious metals are then subjected to a wet-chemical treatment. So metals can be specifically brought into solution or can be precipitated to separate unwanted components (inerts, polymers, foreign metals). Further the relevant metals will be concentrated by thermal-metallurgical processes. The technology, developed in the R&D project, enables identification, separation and processing of non-ferrous metals, precious metals and REM in household waste and transfers them into further processable individual fractions."

Jan 1, 2014

By Aldo Cipriano, Fernando Estrada

The mining industry is in search of control strategies that allow considering a global optimization of their processes, ensuring their stability. This has led to the application of recently developed control techniques on large-scale systems in the mining processes. One of the most important process of the mining industry is the mineral grinding, as the product particle size impacts, in a significant manner, the recovery rate of the valuable mineral in the separation stages. As a solution, a centralized hybrid model predictive control (HMPC) is presented; this control approach maintains the product particle size on a defined range and minimizes energy consumption, maintaining the grinding plant in a stable operation. As a comparison, a conventional model predictive control with an expert system to handle discrete events was developed, showing HMPC is a suitable solution that can used in the grinding process, with the benefit that it handles in the same controller both discrete and continuous dynamics and events.

Jan 1, 2014

By Xingshi Yang, Ghislain Bournival, Seher Ata

"Particle-laden interfaces are a fundamental research topic in froth flotation since the process involves particle-coated bubbles in both the pulp and the froth phase. In most experimental studies the characteristics of the particle layer in multi-bubble systems are poorly defined. An experimental setup has been developed based on a Langmuir-Blodgett (L-B) trough. The modified trough allowed introducing an air bubble beneath the particle monolayer formed at the air-water interface which made the study of the interaction between the bubble and the monolayer under various pH values possible. The monolayer characteristics of the particles were also studied and compared in terms of surface pressure (?-A) isotherms and packing factor. On compression, the particles formed branched structure at high pH whereas a uniform monolayer was formed at lower pH. Observations related to the behavior of particles during compression and expansion cycles, and the coalescence of a bare bubble with the flat particle laden interface were provided and the implication of the results for flotation process was discussed.INTRODUCTIONFroth flotation is known for its versatility and ability to concentrate low-grade, complex ores. It is considered a physico-chemical process in which particles attach to air bubbles, depending on their hydrophobicity as well as other factors, and are carried to the surface to form a froth layer. Reagents are used to stabilize bubbles and the froth layer (Pugh, 1996). However, particles, which are carried by the bubbles or entrained, significantly contribute to the stability of the froth phase (Ata et al., 2003; Zanin et al., 2009; Bournival et al., 2015a). Their relevance in mineral processing has led to a number of fundamental studies on the effect of particles and their properties on the process of froth flotation.Flotation systems are particularly difficult to characterize due to the broad range of properties of particles (e.g. size, liberation, hydrophobicity, etc.) and inconsistent operational conditions (e.g. changes in water quality, reagent addition, etc.). Several studies have made the use of well characterized particles in laboratory conditions. Such studies allowed the finding of an optimal contact angle for the stabilization of the froth phase (Johansson and Pugh, 1992; Ata et al., 2002). Froths have a large number of bubbles so that individual interactions are not observed. The study of two bubbles allows to determine the stability of the bubbles, with particles, and to some extend the stability of the bubble-particle aggregate (Gourram-Badri et al., 1997; Bournival et al., 2015b). The removing of particles between two bubbles may also be studied from a Scheludko cell (Johansson and Pugh, 1992) or by observing a bubble with a flat interface (Sethumadhavan et al., 2002). However, these systems provide limited information on the arrangement of the particles."

Jan 1, 2018

By S. Makni

Flotation is a complex process in which many mechanisms come into interaction. In this paper, an approach to model these mechanisms in order to predict size-by-size flotation performances is presented. The estimation of the collection efficiency of particles takes into account the serial sub-processes of particle-bubble collision, attachment and detachment. The model was applied to an industrial plant and yielded satisfactory results whereby the actual flotation performances could be correctly predicted. Furthermore, the flotation model allowed investigating the possibility of improving flotation performances by a split flotation feed in comparison to the actual single-stage process.

Sep 1, 2012

By Rogerio C. Guimarães, Antonio E. C. Peres

The production of phosphate concentrates (phosphate rock) from slimes represents a challenge to the phosphate industry worldwide. In Brazil, this challenge is particularly relevant due to the consistently low P2O5 grades and the igneous origin. The first industrial experiences of producing phosphate rock from slimes (-44µm or -325#) fraction started at Arafertil, currently Bunge Fertilizantes SA, in Araxá, in the 1980.s. This production corresponds, nowadays, to 35% of the total production of concentrates in the company (830,000t/year) in a circuit consisting of desliming in 40mm microcyclones and concentration in flotation columns, corn starch and fatty acids being utilised as reagents. The performance of slimes flotation and the process control, at Bunge´s concentrator, were improved after the introduction of column flotation technology, in the first half of the nineties. The column flotation technology for slimes recovery was expanded to other Brazilian concentrators still in the nineties: Ultrafértil (Catalão - GO), Bunge (Cajati - SP), Fosfértil (Tapira - MG) and Copebrás (Catalão - GO). At present the Brazilian production of phosphate rock is approximately 4.5Mt/year, with a strong trend for a market increase. Genuinely Brazilian technology is utilised for the processing of slimes, the concentrates representing 11 to 13% of the overall production. The production of apatite concentrates from slimes was relevant to increase phosphate recovery and reduce costs, contributing to the growth of the fertilisers industry.

Jan 1, 2003

By T. Mütze

The progress in comminution is often described by the specific surface area and the energy utilization or the brakeage ratio and breakage function. The principal mechanisms of size reduction are therefore, well known. All four parameters share a common disadvantage: They are limited in describing the behavior of a feed material with fine particles and a wide particle size distribution. An alternative is to describe the progress in comminution with ? The particle size distributions Q(x) before and after the stress or ? The particle concentration ratio pcr(x), which combines these two states. In the case of a self-similar fracture behavior, (in short: self-similarity) the progress in comminution can be simplistically described by the relationship between a reference particle size and the stress intensity. Self-similarity means self-similar breakage functions of geometrically similar particles of the same strength, a certain stress situation and stresses up to the breakage point. Self-similar breakage functions show the same curve at different stress intensities when the fragment size x is normalized with a reference particle size xNorm. This behavior was demonstrated for single particle comminution repeatedly and unequivocally. In the field of particle bed comminution, these results differ in literature. Therefore, the self-similarity in particle bed comminution was systematically investigated at the Institute of Mechanical Process Engineering and Mineral Processing of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg as part of a research project. Limestone, quartz, silicon carbide and glass beads, were examined with a hydraulic press. The particle sizes covered monodisperse fractions in the range of 1-1000 µm, bimodal mixtures of these fractions and polydisperse fractions. The results obviously show that there is no self-similar fracture behavior in the case of glass beads, quartz and silicon carbide. Statements on the self-similarity of limestone are much more difficult: Only some of the investigated limestone fractions show a similar clear, non-self-similar behavior. Self-similar curves appear particularly for fine monodisperse fractions as well as bimodal mixtures, which stressed with pressures above 200 MPa. Considering the measurement accuracy of particle size analysis the coincidence of the curves can be explained by the fact that progress in comminution almost ends above 200 MPa. At this point, a hydrostatic stress state is reached in the particle bed which is known from the literature. This stress state inhibits further fractures. Overall, it has been verified for the investigated materials that there?s no self-similar fracture behavior in particle bed comminution. One reason for the diverse opinions in literature is that there are three types of particles after the comminution in the particle bed: ? Particles which are stressed below their breaking point, ? Particles which are stressed right up to the break point, and ? Particles which are stressed beyond their breaking point.

Sep 1, 2012

By F. Waanders, Campbell. Q.

This project was specifically aimed at using increased acceleration separation, as a method to optimize the recovery of gold in an ore body mainly consisting of hematite where the specific gravity of gold is much higher in comparison to the carrying material, making it possible to separate gold from other materials like silica, base metals and their oxides, usually associated with gravitation-gold-recovery-processes. The ore body investigated in this project originated from a gold reef containing a large portion of gold locked inside the gold pyrite complexes, which was mined and treated in a conventional way. After gold extraction, the material was pumped to a tailings dump and the gold extraction of this dump was investigated. In order to assemble a concentration plant setup, the head grade and size distribution of the dump and bulk sample were determined accurately. Chemical analysis and mineralogical examination were done on a representative sample of the bulk sample, to determine the chemical composition of the material. The results obtained thereof were evaluated and a pilot plant was configured. A bulk sample was processed in the pilot plant and the results were evaluated. The results at optimum acceleration forces applied, resulted in a recovery of 5% of the mass, with a gold concentrate of 90 g/t Au, which represented 58% recovery of the gold. The hematite with high specific gravity as main phase positively influenced the high acceleration separation process. It proved that if the specific gravity of particles in a suspension were increased, high acceleration separation could be applied effectively to separate much smaller particle sizes.

Jan 1, 2014

By Mingxia Liu, Qi Liu, Tao Jiang

"In addition to physical parameters such as small mass and high specific surface area of fine and ultrafine minerals, chemical parameters such as the adsorption affinity of collectors on the minerals also plays an important role in fine particle flotation. In this study, we have examined collectors with two different ionized groups, carboxylate and hydroxamate, on the flotation of fine niobium oxide (pyrochlore). To facilitate comparison, two hydrocarbon radicals were tested: octyl and oleoyl, which led to four collectors that were studied: octyl hydroxamic acid (OHA), sodium octanoate (C8OONa), oleoyl hydroxamic acid (C18HA), and sodium oleate (NaOl). Small-scale flotation and isothermal microcalorimetric titration measurements were performed to determine the flotation recoveries of different sized pyrochlore and the enthalpic behavior after adsorption of the collectors on pyrochlore. It was found that the flotation performance of the carboxylate-based collectors was generally inferior to hydroxamate-based collectors. Sodium octanoate could not float pyrochlore irrespective of the particle size of the pyrochlore tested. With a longer hydrocarbon chain, sodium oleate was effective to float the relatively coarse pyrochlore (>20 µm) but its collection efficiency dropped sharply for particles smaller than 20 µm. On the other hand, the two hydroxamate-based collectors, octyl hydroxamic acid and oleoyl hydroxamic acid, showed good collecting ability to both the coarse and fine pyrochlore. The isothermal microcalorimetric titration studies indicated a consistent correlation of chain length with floatability of collectors for relatively coarse pyrochlore, as well as a positive relationship between the adsorption affinity and fine pyrochlore flotation recoveries. The key finding of this study was that efficient fine particle flotation could be achieved when strongly chemisorbing collectors were used.INTRODUCTION The first detailed study of the effect of particle size on flotation was made by Gaudin (1931) with sulphide ores. In 1942, Gaudin again demonstrated that (Gaudin et al., 1942) fine particles possess different flotation properties from larger particles. Since then the effect of particle size on froth flotation has been an important research topic by many researchers, e.g., Gaudin (1957), Miettinen et al. (2010), Warren (1976) Jameson (2010), summarizing the behavior of fine particles in terms of their low particle momentum, leading to low rate of collision with bubbles which reduces the chance of adhesion. The suggested remediation methods are mainly based on two approaches: increasing particle size or decreasing bubble size (Warren, 1976). Sand-fine splitting followed by separate flotation treatment of the sand and fines, using deep flotation cells, using starvation quantities of collectors, and using long flotation times, are also strategies to address the problems of fine particle flotation."

Jan 1, 2018

By N. Ahmed

This paper is concerned with the drainage behaviour of gangue mineral in the froth phase. Experiments were carried out in a continuous laboratory flotation cell in which froth depth and bubble size could be changed independently. The fraction of solids returning from the froth to the pulp zone was expressed using a rate constant. A mixture of hydrophilic solids (silica) and floatable particles (glass ballotini) was used as a flotation feed. Samples of glass ballotini of different hydrophobicities were obtained, using controlled silanation. Three samples, with contact angles of 50, 66, 82 degrees, were used. The effect of the initial bubble size (pulp bubble size), concentration of gangue mineral in the froth zone, and froth depth on the drainage of silica, were investigated. The drainage rate of the entrained solids increases with an increase in the degree of hydrophobicity of the floatable particles. Concerning the effect of pulp bubble size on the drainage rate of entrained solids, larger bubbles always give higher drainage rates due to formation of relatively loose froth structures which allow gangue particles to easily move down to the pulp zone. Conversely, smaller bubbles exhibit lower drainage rate constants, in particular at shallow froth depths.

Jan 1, 2003

By Anatoly Usov

The detailed researches of a broad circle of problems connected to development of the electric pulse method destruction materials (EPD) of a various nature and area of use are executed. The electrical and power characteristics of process, physical fundamentals of selectivity of a breakdown and destruction are investigated, the device of electric pulse (EP) disaggregation and ?omminution of materials are developed, the technological efficiency of disintegration of industrial minerals estimated. Due to its technological advantages, the EPD could have a great potential in minerals mining and processing technologies. Low specific power and weight-and-size characteristics of EP installations based on the existing out-of-date electric equipment are at present the main reasons hindering the effective application of the method in mining and processing technologies. The main studies carried out in Russia in the field of electro technical equipment development for EP technology are presented. The pulse capacitors service life affects greatly the economic efficiency of the process because the capacitors cost accounts for a considerable, and in some cases, the most part of the operational costs. Determined and analyzed in the study are the ways which could significantly improve the specific characteristics of high voltage pulse generators (VPG), such as to use of high-frequency voltage transformation to develop a charger; to use pulse transformers (PT) with iron magnetic circuits made of materials characterized by high magnetic permeability, in pulse generating circuits; as well as to use special ways which could produce voltage pulses with a short front. The experiments have proved the possibility to adapt these technological solutions for EP devices, and a further strategy of the EP technologies development and application has been suggested on this base. Keywords: electric pulse disaggregation, electric pulse installation, charger battery, high voltage pulse generator

Sep 1, 2012

By Gülay Bulut, Ünzile Yenial

"Water composition has a significant effect on flotation. A better understand the role of water composition in flotation is very important for process quality and performance. Based on source of process water, the concentrations of the dissolved ions, hardness, contaminants and residual composition of reagents can varied in the process water. The various water resources employed during lead and zinc flotation caused activation, depression or selectivity effects on minerals due to the presence of different ions in solution. Metal ions in these water resources were adsorbed on the ore, whilst ions associated with gangue minerals were released into the flotation pulp.This paper includes a research for the effect of different water compositions on lead and zinc sulphide flotation. Experiments were carried out five types of water such as tap water, recycling water, tailing dam water, underground mine water and sea water. The ore sample was obtained from Esan Balikesir-Balya mine. The mineralogical study of ore sample shows that it contains mainly galena, sphalerite, pyrite, hematite, quartz, diopside, epidote, calcite, and chlorite. It is found that recycling water and tailing dam water has a positive effect on recovery of lead and zinc minerals and detrimental effect on content of both minerals. This result may explain with remaining reagents in these waters. Underground mine water and tap water gave nearly the same recoveries of zinc. Sea water affects the recovery lead and zinc negatively."

Jan 1, 2014

By D. J. Zhao

The reduction and nitridation of preoxidized ilmenite pellets were investigated with the prospect of creating grain refiners containing titanium oxides and titanium nitride dispersoids. All the reduction and nitridation reactions were conducted in a furnace with a thermogravimetric analysis system under a H2-N2 gas mixture of 5 L/min. The ilmenite pellets were reduced at 1100°C for 4 hours under 80%H2-20%N2 gas mixture, and then respectively nitrided at 700°C, 800°C, 900°C and 1000°C for 12 hours under 10%H2-90%N2 gas mixture. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and analyzed by Energy Dispersive Spectrometers (EDS) and Electron Probe Mapping Analysis (EPMA). Iron oxides were reduced into metallic iron, and oxides of titanium were found, but titanium nitride particles were not identified in the products under the prevailing conditions.

Jan 1, 2014

By A. Güney

Currently, recycling technologies use relatively homogeneous plastics because hand-sorting waste feed is too expensive. Many promising technologies for separating mixed thermoplastics are being investigated, but they are still uneconomical and unreliable. Burning plastics for recycling is not used because of poisonous gases released when their burning. PET and PVC cannot be separated using conventional gravity separation techniques because their specific gravities overlap; PET density changes from 1.33 g/cc to 1.37 g/cc and PVC density is between 1.32 g/cc and 1.37 g/cc. For this reason, plastic recycling needs new techniques. Among these techniques froth flotation, also used in mineral processing, can be useful for its cost and simplicity. In this method, a plastic is selected from mixture, tried to regain its natural property, hydrophobicity. In this study the experiments were applied by using plasticizer reagents to make the selected plastics hydrophobic and us-ing NaOH to render the other hydrophilic. Post-consumed PET and PVC are evaluated by concerning the effects of selected parameters (particle size, concentration of plasticizer reagent, amount of NaOH, conditioning time and the effect of conditioning temperature). At the end of the experiments, optimum parameters for selective flotation of PET from PVC was found as particle size of -4.76 + 3.36 mm, NaOH amount of 30 kg/t, conditioning temperature of 75°C, conditioning time of 30 minutes, reagent amount of 300 mg/L. Consequently, PET was re-covered with 99.7% purity and 57% efficiency.

Jan 1, 2014

By Ben Murphy, Alejandro Yanez, Tatu Miettinen

"Flotation using large volume cells has grown in importance during recent years, particularly given the increasing demand for minerals whilst ore grades are decreasing. Outotec introduced the TankCell® e300 in 2007 to enable concentrator plants to process these higher tonnages. From the beginning, TankCell® e300s with FloatForce® mixing mechanisms have demonstrated good metallurgical performance with decreased operating costs and high availability. This paper deals with specific engineering challenges that need to be considered when installing these units rather than giving examples of performance. Today there are over 100 TankCell® e300s operational worldwide. As more of these units are installed new technical challenges are encountered and solutions developed to maximize their productivity. Lessons have been learnt by operators, engineering companies and the cell manufacturers on how best to design and layout these cells in modern concentrators to ensure smooth transition from design to installation to operation. This paper presents information on important design considerations and learning that has been obtained through the design, installation and commissioning of the TankCell e300 around the world. Areas pertaining to cells layout such as feed and discharge arrangements along with items of metallurgical concern such as sampling, reagent addition and the potential benefits of installing a variable speed drive on the motor will be covered in depth."

Jan 1, 2014

By J. Shibata

The behavior in electric field of fine particles present in aqueous solution was measured in order to apply to the classification of fine particles. The sample particles used are spherical polystyrene particles with the average diameter of 0.03 µm, 0.1 µm, 1.0 µm, 4.3 µm and 9.6 µm. Electrophoretic mobility and zeta potential of various particles are measured by an instrument based on the principle of the laser Doppler effect. The influence of temperature, electrolyte concentration on the electro-phoretic mobility was investigated for various polystyrene particles. The electrophoretic mobility increases with increasing pH and temperature of suspensions. The measured electrophoretic mobilities are different from electrolyte concentration and particle size. The electrophoretic retardation effect and relaxation effect are considered to explain the behavior of fine particles in electric field by applying the electro kinetic theory of Wiersema et al. For all particle size, the electrophoretic mobility decreases rapidly in high concentration of KNO3 such as 0.1 mol/dm3due to the compression of electric double layer The forces acting the particles in electric field are considered to be electrical force, friction force and some other forces like relaxation effect and electrophoretic retardation effect which appear in ionic behavior. It is considered that the particle moving velocity depends on the particle size. When the particle size is less than 1µm, the velocity increases with increasing the particle size. On the oth-er hand, the velocity deceases with increasing in particle size, when the particle size is larger than 1µm. This phenomenon is considered to be interesting from the viewpoint of classification for fine particles. We found that the electrophoretic mobility of 1.0µm particles is larger than that of 0.1µm particles, and that it is possible to classify fine particles by using the difference of electrophoretic mobility by many experimental results. The phenomena can be explained by the forces acting the fine particles in the electric field. We can apply the behavior to classification of fine particles.

Jan 1, 2014

By M. S. Eygi

This study covers the investigations based on the electrokinetic and rheological properties to explain the interactions between kaolin minerals and commercially available polyelectrolyte in anionic character. Additional adsorption test were also conducted to support the interaction mechanism. Adsorption tests showed that adsorption densities decrease by increasing the solid content. In-creasing the solids contents from 1% to 30% by weight resulted in the decrease on adsorption from 2.14 mg/g to 1.85 mg/g. Because of its difficulty, the solids ratio at 70% was not studied. However, following to trend of the curve plotted adsorption density-solid ratio, an estimation was made and adsorption density at 70% solid content was extracted from the curve as 1.75~1.80 mg/g. The electrokinetic studies pointed out that the presence of polyelectrolyte increase the zeta potential of kaolin from 40 mV to 60 mV which is reasonable conditions to disperse and stabilize the kaolin slurry and lower the viscosity. When these result of the different tests are combined and considered together, 2 mg/g polyelectrolyte concentration was noted as optimal concentration where adsorption density, viscosity and zeta potential of the slurries give maxima and remain constant after this concentration.

Jan 1, 2014

By Alejandro Uribe-Salas, Fabiola Nava-Alonso, Gloria Dávila-Pulido

This paper presents results of an experimental study performed on the role of calcium sulfate present in flotation water on sphalerite flotation in the Pb/Cu circuit (non Cu-activated sphalerite) and in the Zn circuit (Cu-activated sphalerite). In the Pb/Cu circuit calcium ions adsorb on the negatively-charged sphalerite favoring xanthate adsorption and therefore making sphalerite floatable; experimental measurements show sphalerite contact angle increases with calcium concentration while xanthate adsorption onto sphalerite increases with the increase of pH and calcium concentration. Gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O) eventually present due to calcium sulfate precipitation is not detrimental to flotation at this stage since it is negatively charged at pH 9 and therefore, does not adhere onto the surface of negatively-charged sphalerite. In the zinc circuit, Cu-activated sphalerite decreases its negative charge (or even becomes positively charged) and develops some hydrophobicity due to the polysulfide produced by Cu-activation. At this stage calcium ions do not interact with the mineral surface and therefore do not favor xanthate adsorption; nevertheless, precipitated gypsum particles do adhere onto the mineral surface, greatly affecting its floatability (e.g., contact angle). Addition of sodium carbonate to dissolve gypsum and to precipitate calcium as calcium carbonate, which disperses in the bulk of the suspension, effectively restores mineral hydrophobicity. SEM observations coupled with EDS analysis clearly illustrate and support the above sequence of events.

Jan 1, 2014

By Ghislain Bournival, Seher Ata, Yesenia Saavedra Moreno

"In froth flotation, frothers are commonly added to the pulp to modify the interfacial properties of bubbles. These properties may be modelled using commercial software packages. The volume of fluid (VOF) method was used to track the interface motion during the post-rupture oscillation of the newly formed bubble. The aim of this research was to provide an insight into the modelling of viscoelastic phenomena through the coalescence dynamics of two bubbles in solutions of various surface tensions using a three-dimensional computational study. Different surface tensions were used to simulate changes in methyl isobutyl carbinol (MIBC) concentration. The computational results were evaluated by comparing the oscillatory motion of the newly formed bubble for the different MIBC concentrations. For known MIBC concentrations, the deviations of the computational damping constants from the experiments were quantified, revealing possible deviations in the VOF surface tension model. In addition, the analysis provided insight into the flow patterns of the fluids and the effect of frother concentration on the velocity magnitude in the liquid and air phases. This analysis provided a further understanding of coalescence dynamic and post-rupture oscillation in froth flotation. Such a process is believed to affect the stability of particles at the interface due to the release of surface energy when the bubble surface is reduced.INTRODUCTIONIn froth flotation, bubble coalescence is an important phenomenon that is highly dependent on the interfacial properties of the liquid film between bubbles. It is known that the frother adsorption at the liquid-air interface changes the interfacial properties, resulting in an increase of surface elasticity and reduction of surface energy (Pugh, 2016). However, in a two-phase system, it is the frother type, concentration, frother molecule conformation at the interface and viscoelasticity properties that dictate film stability (Pugh, 2016). The viscoelasticity phenomena can be explained in terms of surface viscosity, which quantifies the energy dissipation at the interface and surface elasticity that represents the energy absorbed at the interface as result of bubble oscillation (Pugh, 2016). In the case of systems stabilized by nonionic frothers, it has been shown that surface forces alone do not account for film stability, but the viscoelasticity represents the ability to damp external disturbances in the thin film separating the bubbles and prevent coalescence (Santini et al., 2007)."

Jan 1, 2018