Structural properties of residual carbon in coal gasification fine slag and their influence on flotation separation and resource utilization:A review

Coal gasification fine slag(FS)is a typical solid waste generated in coal gasification.Its current disposal methods of stockpil-ing and landfilling have caused serious soil and ecological hazards.Separation recovery and the high-value utilization of residual carbon(RC)in FS are the keys to realizing the win-win situation of the coal chemical industry in terms of economic and environmental benefits.The structural properties,such as pore,surface functional group,and microcrystalline structures,of RC in FS(FS-RC)not only affect the flotation recovery efficiency of FS-RC but also form the basis for the high-value utilization of FS-RC.In this paper,the characteristics of FS-RC in terms of pore structure,surface functional groups,and microcrystalline structure are sorted out in accordance with gasification type and FS particle size.The reasons for the formation of the special structural properties of FS-RC are analyzed,and their influence on the flotation separation and high-value utilization of FS-RC is summarized.Separation methods based on the pore structural characterist-ics of FS-RC,such as ultrasonic pretreatment-pore-blocking flotation and pore breaking-flocculation flotation,are proposed to be the key development technologies for improving FS-RC recovery in the future.The design of low-cost,low-dose collectors containing polar bonds based on the surface and microcrystalline structures of FS-RC is proposed to be an important breakthrough point for strengthening the flotation efficiency of FS-RC in the future.The high-value utilization of FS should be based on the physicochemical structural proper-ties of FS-RC and should focus on the environmental impact of hazardous elements and the recyclability of chemical waste liquid to es-tablish an environmentally friendly utilization method.This review is of great theoretical importance for the comprehensive understand-ing of the unique structural properties of FS-RC,the breakthrough of the technological bottleneck in the efficient flotation separation of FS,and the expansion of the field of the high value-added utilization of FS-RC.

Effective separation of coal gasification fine slag: Role of classification and ultrasonication in enhancing flotation

Effective separation of residual carbon and ash is the basis for the resource utilization of coal gasification fine slag(CGFS).The conventional flotation process of CGFS has the bottlenecks of low carbon recovery and high collector dosage.In order to address these issues,CGFS sample taken from Shaanxi,China was used as the study object in this paper.A new process of size classification-fine grain ultrasonic pretreatment flotation(SC-FGUF)was proposed and its separation effect was compared with that of wholegrain flotation(WGF)as well as size classification-fine grain flotation(SC-FGF).The mechanism of its enhanced separation effect was revealed through flotation kinetic fitting,flotation flow foam layer stability,particle size composition,surface morphology,pore structure,and surface chemical property analysis.The results showed that compared with WGF,pre-classification could reduce the collector dosage by 84.09%and the combination of pre-classification and ultrasonic pretreatment could increase the combustible recovery by 17.29%and up to 93.46%.The SC-FGUF process allows the ineffective adsorption of coarse residual carbon to collector during flotation stage to be reduced by pre-classification,and the tightly embedded state of fine CGFS particles is disrupted and surface oxidizing functional group occupancy was reduced by ultrasonic pretreatment,thus carbon and ash is easier to be separated in the flotation process.In addition,some of the residual carbon particles were broken down to smaller sizes in the ultrasonic pretreatment,which led to an increase in the stability of flotation flow foam layer and a decrease in the probability of detachment of residual carbon particles from the bubbles.Therefore,SCFGUF could increase the residual carbon recovery and reduce the flotation collector dosage,which is an innovative method for carbon-ash separation of CGFS with good application prospect.

Synergistic effects of dodecane-castor oil acid mixture on the flotation responses of low-rank coal:A combined simulation and experimental study

The utilization of an appropriate collector or surfactant is crucial for the beneficiation of low-rank coal.However,in previous studies,the selection of surfactants was primarily based on flotation procedures,which hinders the understanding of the interaction mechanism between surfactant groups and oxygen-containing functional groups at the surface of low-rank coal.In this study,we investigate the flotation of low-rank coal in the presence of a composite collector by using a combined theoretical and experimental approach.The maximum flotation mass recovery achieved was 82.89%using a 3:1 mixture of dodecane and castor oil acid.Fourier-transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analyses showed that castor oil acid was effectively adsorbed onto the surface of low-rank coal,enhancing the hydrophobicity of the coal.In addition,the diffusion coefficient of water molecules in the water-composite collector-coal system was greater than that in the dodecane system.Moreover,due to the presence of castor oil acid in the flotation process,the adsorption distance of dodecane and low-rank coal became shorter.Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the diffusion and interaction of surfactant molecules at the interface of low-rank coal particles and water was enhanced because the adsorption of the dodecane-castor oil acid mixture is primarily controlled by hydrogen bonds and electrostatic attraction.Based on these results,a better surfactant for flotation of low-rank coal is also proposed.

Flotation recovery of vanadium from low-grade stone coal

Pre-concentration of vanadium from low-grade stone coal by the method of desliming-flotation was investigated. The mineral composition and microstructure of stone coal were studied systematically by means of X-ray fluorescence spectrometry （XRF）, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The results show that selective separation of vanadium-bearing minerals can be achieved by flotation in acidic solution using melamine （EA）. The final vanadium concentrate with V2O5 grade of 1.88% and recovery rate of 76.58% is obtained by desliming-flotation process and 72.51% of the raw ore is rejected as tailings. The pre-concentration of vanadium from low-grade stone coal can increase V2O5 grade and decrease the content of acid consuming minerals, which would enable economical utilization of metallurgical vanadium extraction technology.

Recovery of vanadium and carbon from low-grade stone coal by flotation

Flotation technology of high-carbon stone coal bearing vanadium was investigated based on mineralogical study. Carbon and vanadium flotation circuits were included in the flotation process for carbon and vanadium mineral concentrates. Carbon and vanadium minerals were efficiently separated via regrinding process in the carbon flotation circuit. The results show that the grade and recovery of V2O5 in flotation concentrate are 1.32% and 88.38%, respectively, and the tailings yield is 38.36%. Meanwhile, the grade and recovery of the carbon mineral are 30.08% and 75.10%, respectively, which may be utilized as the fossil fuels directly. The leaching rates of the flotation products are as high as 85%. The results demonstrate that there is no direct adverse effect of flotation process on vanadium leaching. This technology could potentially reduce cost and increase the treatment capacity of vanadium extraction and provide reference to stone coal flotation technology.

Vanadium recovery from stone coal through roasting and flotation

A new process for vanadium recovery from stone coal by roasting-flotation was investigated based on the mineralogy. The process comprised four key steps： decarburization, preferential grinding, desliming and flotation. In the decarburization stage, roasting at 550 ℃ effectively avoided the negative effect of the carbonaceous materials in raw ore and generation of free CaO from calcite decomposition during roasting. Through preferential grinding, the high acid-consuming minerals were enriched in the middle fractions, while mica was enriched in the fine and coarse fractions. Through flotation, the final concentrate can be obtained with V2O5 grade of 1.07% and recovery of 83.30%. Moreover, the vanadium leaching rate of the final concentrate increased 13.53% compared to that of the feed. The results reveal that the decarburization by roasting at 550 ℃ is feasible and has little negative impact on mica flotation, and vanadium recovery from stone coal is conducive to reducing handling quantity, acid consumption and production cost.

Improving bubble-particle attachment during the flotation of low rank coal by surface modification

Based on the problems caused by many oxygen-containing functional groups and poor floatability on the surface of low rank coal,the characteristics of low rank coal were analyzed systematically by means of scanning electron microscopy(SEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD)and X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)techniques.The bubble-particle induction time was used to determine the characterization of the bubble-particle attachment,and the bubble-particle attachment of low rank coal modified by soaking the coal samples in an acid or alkaline solution was analyzed.The floatability of the modified coal surface was verified by flotation tests.The results show that the particle size of 0.125–0.074 mm of the coal sample exhibited better bubble-particle attachment characteristics.The small bubble,the larger approach velocity of bubble and the larger bubble deformation were more helpful to enhance the bubbleparticle attachment.For an acid solution,the smaller the p H was and the longer the soaking time was,the better the floatability of the coal sample and the higher the combustible material recovery were.The combustible material recovery of low rank coal was increased to 78.79%by soaking the sample in an acid solution of pH=0 for 180 min.On the contrary there was a best concentration for the alkaline solution.

Nanobubble generation and its applications in froth flotation(part IV):mechanical cells and specially designed column flotation of coal

Coal is the world's most abundant fossil fuel.Coal froth flotation is a widely used cleaning process to separate coal from mineral impurities.Flotation of coarse coal particles,ultrafine coal particles and oxidized coal particles is well known to be difficult and complex.In this paper,the nanobubbles' effects on the flotation of the varying particle size,particle density and floatability coal samples were evaluated using a bank of pilot scale flotation cells,a laboratory scale and a pilot scale specially designed flotation column.The parameters evaluated during this study include the flow rate ratio between the nanobubble generator and the conventional size bubble generator,the superficial air velocity,collector dosage,frother concentration,flotation feed rate,feed solids concentration,feed particle size,and the superficial wash water flow rate,etc.The results show that the use of nanobubbles in a bank of mechanical cells flotation and column flotation increased the flotation recovery by 8%～27% at a given product grade.Nanobubbles increased the flotation rate constants of 600～355,355～180,180～75,and 75～0 microns size coal particles by 98.0%,98.4%,50.0% and 41.6%,respectively.The separation selectivity index was increased by up to 34%,depending on the flotation feed characteristics and the flotation conditions.

Coal Gasification Wastewater Pretreatment with Coagulation and N_2 Flotation Combined System

A N 2 flotation tank combined with coagulation was developed as a pretreatment equipment of biological process to remove oil and other pollutants in coal gasification wastewater( CGW). With optimal PAC dosage of 20 mg / L,the sole coagulation process achieves removal efficiencies of 29. 34% and 26. 83% for oil and COD,respectively. For the sole N 2 floatation process,the optimal N 2 flux and HRT are 20 m3/ h and 20 min. Meanwhile,the oil and COD removal efficiencies are 35. 41% and 14. 26%,respectively. For the combined system of coagulation and N 2 floatation,the optimal parameter values are the same as the ones of separate processes. Correspondingly,the removal efficiencies are 46. 28% and 31. 89% for oil and COD, respectively. Besides,BOD 5 / COD of the effluent is improved. In contrast with conventional dissolved air floatation,the inert gas- N 2 prevents the formation of cyclopentenone, pyridine derivatives, and other heterocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,thus improving the biodegradability of influent for the subsequent biological processes.

Modeling of fine coal flotation separation based on particle characteristics and hydrodynamic conditions

Flotation is a complex multifaceted process that is widely used for the separation of finely ground minerals. The theory of froth flotation is complex and is not completely understood. This fact has been brought many monitoring challenges in a coal processing plant. To solve those challenges, it is important to understand the effect of different parameters on the fine particle separation, and control flotation performance for a particular system. This study is going to indicate the effect of various parameters （particle Characteristics and hydrodynamic conditions） on coal flotation responses （flotation rate constant and recovery） by different modeling techniques. A comprehensive coal flotation database was prepared for the statistical and soft computing methods. Statistical factors were used for variable selections. Results were in a good agreement with recent theoretical flotation investigations. Computational models accurately can estimate flotation rate constant and coal recovery （correlation coefficient 0.85, and 0.99, respectively）. According to the results, it can be concluded that the soft computing models can overcome the complexity of process and be used as an expert system to control, and optimize parameters of coal flotation process.

Prediction of operational parameters effect on coal flotation using artificial neural network

Artificial neural network procedures were used to predict the combustible value （i.e. 100-Ash） and combustible recovery of coal flotation concentrate in different operational conditions. The pulp density,pH,rotation rate,coal particle size,dosage of collector,frother and conditioner were used as inputs to the network. Feed-forward artificial neural networks with 5-30-2-1 and 7-10-3-1 arrangements were capable to estimate the combustible value and combustible recovery of coal flotation concentrate respectively as the outputs. Quite satisfactory correlations of 1 and 0.91 in training and testing stages for combustible value and of 1 and 0.95 in training and testing stages for combustible recovery prediction were achieved. The proposed neural network models can be used to determine the most advantageous operational conditions for the expected concentrate assay and recovery in the coal flotation process.

Beneficiation of an Indian non-coking coal by column flotation

Beneficiation of non-coking coal is gaining ground in India. It not only reduces the volume of inert content to be transported to the power plant and also lowers the wear in the boiler houses. For special applications such as the fuel for integrated gasification combined cycle plant （IGCC）, the ash content in the coal should preferably be below 15 %. Indian coals are characterized by high inter-grown ash content mainly due to ＇drift origin＇ of Gondwana formation in Permian age. This warrants fine grinding of non-coking coal in order to liberate the ash forming minerals from coal macerals. A non- coking coal sample of vitrinite type from India was ground to 44 ~tm （dso） and subjected to column flotation to improve its quality. The non-coking coal analyzing 34.6 % ash, 26.2 % volatile matter, 1.3 % moisture and 37.9 % fixed carbon could be upgraded to a concentrate/froth of 14.83 % ash at 72.18 % yield by optimizing collector and frother dosages and flotation column operating parameters, namely, froth depth, superficial feed velocity and superficial air velocity. The concentrate produced by this process is suitable as fuel for IGCC in coal-to-electricity route.

Desulfurization of coal by an electrochemical-reduction flotation technique

The optimum conditions for sulfur removal from coal by electrochemical reduction flotation in an aqueous NaCl solution were determined from orthogonal experiments. The effect of electrolytic conditions on the desulfurization ratio was also studied. The electrochemical-reduction processed coal was examined by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and wet chemical analysis. The results show that electrochemical reduction converts hydrophobic pyrite in Nantong coal into hydrophilic FeS and S2- and leads to an increase in the concentration of hydroxyl groups and aliphatic moieties and a corresponding decrease in carboxyl and carbonyl groups, which enhances the flotation desulfurization of the coal.

Interpretable modeling of metallurgical responses for an industrial coal column flotation circuit by XGBoost and SHAP-A “conscious-lab” development

Surprisingly,no investigation has been explored relationships between operating variables and metallurgical responses of coal column flotation(CF) circuits based on industrial databases for under operation plants.As a novel approach,this study implemented a conscious-lab "CL" for filling this gap.In this approach,for developing the CL dedicated to an industrial CF circuit,SHapley Additive explanations(SHAP) and extreme gradient boosting(XGBoost) were powerful unique machine learning systems for the first time considered.These explainable artificial intelligence models could effectively convert the dataset to a basis that improves human capabilities for better understanding,reasoning,and planning the unit.SHAP could provide precise multivariable correlation assessments between the CF dataset by using the Tabas Parvadeh coal plant(Kerman,Iran),and showed the importance of solid percentage and washing water on the metallurgical responses of the coal CF circuit.XGBoost could predict metallurgical responses(R-square> 0.88) based on operating variables that showed quite higher accuracy than typical modeling methods(Random Forest and support vector regression).

Process intensification of fine coal separation using two-stage flotation column

Flotation column is widely used as the separation equipment for fine mineral due to its high selectivity. However, this device may be unsuitable for the coarse particle flotation and has high handling ability. A two-stage flotation column with dimensions of 2 000 mm×1 000 mm×4 000 mm was designed to enhance the column flotation process. The energy input was modified by adjusting the flow rate and the head of circulating pump. The flotation column was designed with low energy input in the first stage(speed flotation stage) to recover easy-to-float materials quickly, and high energy input in the second stage(recovery stage) to recover difficult-to-float minerals compulsorily. Contrast experiments on the throughput and coarse coal recovery of high ash coal from the Kailuan Mine were conducted using conventional single-stage flotation column and the two-stage flotation column. The results show that the combustible matter recovery of the two-stage flotation column is 5.25% higher than that of the conventional single-stage flotation column. However, the ash contents of clean coal for both columns are similar. Less coarse coals with low ash are obtained using the two-stage flotation column than that using the single-stage column flotation with the same handling ability. The two-stage flotation column process can enhance coal flotation compared with the conventional single-stage column flotation.

Effects of frothers on bubbles size and flotation performance of hydrophobic minerals

Frothers facilitate the reduction of bubbles size by preventing bubbles coalescence and produce more stable froths.The collision probability of the bubbles and particles substantially increases by decreasing bubble size.For the same volume system,fewer bubbles result from a distribution of large-sized bubbles,and more bubbles result from a distribution of small-sized bubbles.In this research,fundamental two-phase frother characterization parameters were aimed to link with three-phase coal and talc flotation behavior.For this purpose,the effect of single and dual frother systems on inhibiting bubble coalescence was investigated with methyl isobutyl carbinol(MIBC),isooctanol(2 ethyl hexanol),pine oil,and Dowfroth 250.Based on the results of single frothers,isooctanol at the lowest critical coalescence concentration(CCC)value of 6×10^(−6) achieved the smallest bubbles with Sauter mean diameter of 0.80 mm.By blending Dowfroth 250 and pine oil,the bubbles size decreased significantly,reaching 0.45 mm.While the highest recoveries in coal flotation were obtained in single and frother blends where the bubbles size was measured as the smallest in two-phase system,and such a relationship was not found for talc flotation.

Froth flotation of refuse coal fines and process optimization using 2D surface plots

Refuse coal fines of size <500 μm was collected from a metallurgical coal preparation plant located in the eastern coalfield region of India. The coal was beneficiated using froth flotation technique to recover clean coal with ash content of about 20% with the highest possible yield. Diesel oil as collector and pine oil as frother were used. Box-Behnken statistical design was followed for analyzing the performance at varying pulp density, collector and frother dosage. Results were discussed using 2D surface plots. Response function predictions determined by the regression analysis show coefficient of correlation(R^2) for yield and the ash content as 0.72 and 0.86, respectively. The highest yield of 45.79% is obtained at pulp density 10%, collector dose 2 kg/t and frother dose 1.5 kg/t. The lowest ash content of 18.9% is obtained at pulp density 10%, collector dose 1 kg/t and frother dose 1 kg/t.

Flotation kinetics performance of different coal size fractions with nanobubbles

The flotation kinetics of different size fractions of conventional and nanobubble(NB) flotation were compared to investigate the effect of NBs on the flotation performance of various coal particle sizes. Six flotation kinetics models were selected to fit the flotation data, and NBs were observed on a hydrophobic surface under hydrodynamic cavitation by atomic force microscope scanning. Flotation results indicated that the best flotation performance of size fraction at-0.125+0.074 mm can be obtained either in conventional or NB flotation. NBs increase the combustible recovery of almost all the size fractions, but they increase the product ash content of-0.25+0.074 mm and reduce the product ash content of-0.045 mm at the same time. The first-order models can be used to fit the flotation data in conventional and NB flotation, and the classical first-order model is the most suitable one. NBs considerably enhance flotation rate on coarse size fraction(-0.5+0.25 mm) but decrease the flotation rate of the medium size(-0.25+0.074 mm). The improvement of flotation speed on fine coal particles(-0.074 mm) is probably the reason for the improved performance of raw sample flotation.

An Entrapment Model of Water Flow on Fine Coal Flotation

Effect of entrapment of water flow on fine coal flotation was studied. The relation between constant of water flotation rate and flotation time was investigated and the water recycling model determined. The entrapment model of water flow about the relation between the recovery of fine particle and that of water in concentration was established. Finally, the equation about ash in fine clean coal at any time was derived by introducing a de-ashing coefficient.

Analysis of Texture of Froth Image in Coal Flotation

Froth image features of coal flotation have been extracted and studied by neighboring grey level dependence matrix, spatial grey level dependence matrix and grey level histogram. In this paper, a basic algorithm of unsupervised learning pattern classification is presented, and coal flotation froth images are classified by means of self organizing map (SOM). By extracting features from 51 flotation froth images with laboratory column, four types of froth images are classified. The correct rate of SOM cluster is satisfactory. And a good relationship of froth type with average ash content is also observed.