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.

The Effects of Frothers and Particles on the Characteristics of Pulp and Froth Properties in Flotation—A Critical Review

The pulp and froth zones are the main components of froth flotation as it defines both quality of the end product and overall efficiency. The importance of the properties of the two zones, which include pulp hydrodynamics, froth bubble coalescence rate, water overflow rate, air recovery, etc., is being increasingly recognized. The properties are depending not only on the type and concentration of the frother but also on the nature and amount of the particles present in the flotation system, and as well as the frother-particle interactions and potentially of bubble-particle interactions. To date, there is no specific criterion to quantify pulp and froth properties through the interactions between frothers and particles because the various related mechanisms occurring in the pulp and froth are not fully understood. Linking the properties to the metallurgical performance is also challenged. In order to better understand the effect of these issues in flotation, in this review paper, the past and recently published articles relevant to characterizations of pulp and froth properties are widely reviewed;the findings and the gap of knowledge in this area are highlighted for further research.

A novel quantificational assessment method of frothers effect on bubble characteristics

A new visual method for quantitative measurement of frothers effect and flotation efficiency was presented. A self-designed electrolytic cell was chosen as the reaction environment with sodium chloride (NaCl) as the electrolyte. Constant current, supplied by a self-designed power supplier and fixed cathode and anode equipment, guaranteed the constant bubble volume per unit time. Even aperture of the cathode material guaranteed the original bubbles size to be uniform. Bubble generating equipment was connected with a microscopical camera. Statistic data collected by high speed charge-coupled device (CCD) and processed by software Sigmascan and Matlab could reflect bubble characteristics. The efficiency of dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether (DPM) and tripropylene glycol n-butyl ethel (TPnB) were measured at the same condition, and 2×10-4 mol/L and 5×10-2 mol/L were found to be the inflexions of bubble size changes.

Adsorption structures of frothers at gas–liquid interface using DFT method

Density functional theory (DFT) simulation was performed to investigate the adsorption mechanisms between frothers and gas–liquid interface. In water phase, the polar head group of the frother molecule was connected with water molecules by hydrogen bonding, while the non-polar group showed that hydrophobic property and water molecules around it were repelled away. The adsorption of water molecules on single frother molecule suggests that the complexes of α-terpineol-7H2O, MIBC-7H2O and DF200-13H2O reach their stable structure. The hydration shell affects both the polar head group and the non-polar group. The liquid film drainage rate of DF200 is the lowest, while α-terpineol and MIBC are almost the same. The adsorption layer of frother molecules adsorbed at the gas-liquid interface reveals that the α-terpineol molecules are more neatly arranged and better distributed. The DF200 molecules are arranged much more loosely than MIBC molecules. These results suggest that the α-terpineol molecule layer could better block the diffusion of gas through the liquid film than DF200 and MIBC. The simulation results indicate that the foam stability of α-terpineol is the best, followed by DF200 and MIBC.

A new method of testing frother performance

A new method of testing frother performance was proposed. Four parameters were tested： maximum foam volume, foam half-life, gas-liquid ratio and mean foam rise velocity. Among them the former two parameters indicate frother＇s foaming ability and foam stability respectively, and the latter two indicate water carrying ability and foam viscosity, respectively. The performance of four frothers in a two-phase （solution-air） system was tested and batch flotation tests on a copper ore were carried out. By analyzing frother performance in a two-phase system and comparing with the flotation results, correlation between them was found. Higher-copper concentrate grade was obtained by frothers with weak water carrying ability and low foam viscosity. And frothers with strong foaming ability and stable foam tend to obtain higher copper recovery.

Effect of solids on pulp and froth properties in flotation

Froth flotation is a widely used process of particle separation exploiting differences in surface properties. It is important to point out that overall flotation performance(grade and recovery) is a consequence of the quality and quantity of the solid particles collected from the pulp phase, transported into the froth phase, and surviving as bubble-particle aggregates into the overflow. This work will focus on studying these phenomena and will incorporate the effects of particle hydrophobicities in the 3-phase system. Solids are classed as either hydrophilic non-sulphide gangue(e.g. silica, talc), hydrophilic sulphide(e.g. pyrite), or hydrophobic sulphide(e.g. sphalerite). Talc is a surface-active species of gangue that has been shown to behave differently from silica(frother adsorbs on the surface of talc particles). Both are common components of ores and will be studied in detail. The focus of this work is to investigate the role of solids on pulp hydrodynamics, froth bubble coalescence intensity, water overflow rate with solids present, and in particular, the interactions between solids, frother and gas on the gas dispersion parameters. The results show that in the pulp zone there is no effect of solids on bubble size and gas holdup; in the froth zone, although hydrophilic particles solely do not effect on the water overflow rate, hydrophobic particles produce higher intensity of rates on water overflow and bubble coalescence, and many be attributed to the water reattachment.

浮选药剂CZS的研制及应用

c.z.s是一种天然表面活性剂.具有乳化、分散、润湿和起泡等性能.本文介绍它的物理和化学性能,提取过程及在浮选上的作用.

Evaluation of effect of viscosity changes on bubble size in a mechanical flotation cell

In operating flotation plants, the viscosity of the pulp can vary significantly. Consequently, the resulting impact on bubble size is of interest as many plants experience seasonal changes in water temperature, or particle size changes as ore hardness, mineralogy and throughput fluctuate. However, given its importance in flotation, there existed no mathematical relationship linking bubble size created in flotation machines to the key process variable of fluid viscosity. In this study, a program of investigation to develop such a model was utilizing a pilot-scale mechanical flotation machine, to investigate the effect of water viscosity due to temperature on bubble size distribution. The bubble sizes were determined using a specific bubble viewer and imaging technology. The temperature itself was varied as a method for introducing significant viscosity change. The viscosity-temperature effect introduced a correspondingly significant change in the water viscosity（1619 to 641 μPa·s）. It is suggested that a considerably stronger relationship may exist, yielding D32 versus（μ/μ20）0.776, and hence viscosity becomes an important design consideration for plants operating where pulp temperature fluctuations, very small particles or high solid fractions are present.

A novel approach to prevent bubble coalescence during measurement of bubble size in flotation

Effect of frothers in preventing bubble coalescence during flotation of minerals has long been investigated.To evaluate the performance of a frother,an apparatus to measure the bubble size is a basic necessity.McGill Bubble Size Analyzer(MBSA) or bubble viewer that has been developed and completed by McGill University's Mineral Processing Group during the last decade is a unique instrument to serve this purpose.Two parameters which are thought to influence the bubble size measurements by McGill bubble viewer include water quality and frother concentration in the chamber.Results show that there is no difference in Sauter mean(D32) when tap or de-ionized water was used instead of process water.However,the frother concentration,in this research DowFroth 250(DF250),inside the chamber exhibited a pronounced effect on bubble size.Frother concentration below a certain point can not prevent coalescence inside the chamber and therefore caution must be taken in plant applications.It was also noted that the frother concentration which has been so far practiced in plant measurements(CCC75-CCC95) is high enough to prevent coalescence with the bubble viewer.

Correspondence of bubble size and frother partitioning in flotation

The size of bubbles created in the flotation process is of great importance to the efficiency of the mineral separation achieved.Meanwhile,it is believed that frother transport between phases is perhaps the most important reason for the interactive nature of the phenomena occurring in the bulk and froth phases in flotation,as frother adsorbed in the surface of rising bubbles is removed from the bulk phase and then released into the froth as a fraction of the bubbles burst.This causes the increased concentration in the froth compared to the bulk concentration,named as frother partitioning.Partitioning reflects the adsorption of frother on bubbles and how to influence bubble size is not known.There currently exists no such a topic aiming to link these two key parameters.To fill this vacancy,the correspondence between bubble size and frother partitioning was examined.Bubble size was measured by sampling-for-imaging(SFI)technique.Using total organic carbon(TOC)analysis to measure the frother partitioning between froth and bulk phases was determined.Measurements have shown,with no exceptions including four different frothers,higher frother concentration is in the bulk than in the froth.The results also show strong partitioning giving an increase in bubble size which implies there is a compelling relationship between these two,represented by CFroth/CBulk and D32.The CFroth/CBulkand D32 curves show similar exponential decay relationships as a function of added frother in the system,strongly suggesting that the frother concentration gradient between the bulk solution and the bubble interface is the driving force contributing to bubble size reduction.

Statistical evaluation of flotation and entrainment behavior of an artificial ore

The role of several parameters on gangue recovery in froth was investigated. Effects of frother type and collector dosage on flotation performance were tested at pH 10. The results were evaluated statistically by two-way analysis of variance without replicates, sample range and sample standard deviation. Hydrophilic mineral was recovered mainly by entrainment through hydrophobization of Ca＋2-activated quartz from tap-water in the presence of Na-oleate as collector; entrapment and slime coating were also proposed as recovery mechanisms in minority. Degree of gangue-entrainment in froth product increases by reduction in liberation size. The experimental results state that selectivity would be improved by increasing collector concentration and reducing the flotation time.

Bubble size as a function of some situational variables in mechanical flotation machines

The specific results of the work investigating the effect of gas density and water temperature on bubble size were present.These were surrogate variables designed to investigate the effect of viscosity(varying water temperature) and altitude(varying gas density).The results show that there is a measurable but relatively small effect of gas density on bubble size.The D32 is revealed to increase proportionally as(ρ0/ρg)0.132.The projected impact on flotation kinetics at 4500 m versus sea level is small,of the order of 0.5% recovery loss for a bank of eight flotation cells.The effect of water temperature(4-40 °C) on bubble size is more significant than gas density.The relationship correlates with water viscosity values quite closely.A finding that D32 increases proportionally as(μ/μ20)0.776 highlights the importance of accounting for viscosity effects if,for example,large process temperature fluctuations or deviation from design/test conditions are expected.

Flotation performance analysis on coal washery rejects

The coal washery rejects cause major environmental problems in various parts of the globe.Nearly 1 Mt of coal rejects discarded as waste,is accumulated per annum in India,during washing or cleaning of raw coal.Cleaning coal,especially washery rejects,has posed a major challenge to the recovery of fine coal.Froth flotation is a better choice for processing coal washery rejects.In this study,flotation studies are attempted on the coal slurry received from Sudamdih coal washery,Jharkhand,India.A statistical design package(Minitab V17)was used to study the effect of process variables like collector and frother dosages on the responses.Regression equations for froth height,froth density,recovery and ash content of clean coal were developed.The coefficient of correlation(R2)values between the experimental and the predicted values of the flotation responses was found to be greater than 0.98 for all the models.Clean coal product was analyzed for recovery,froth height,and ash content by varying pulp densities.Results show that the coal slurry sample could be evaluated with acceptable recovery via flotation.Clean coal with an ash content of 17.2%is obtained with a 70%recovery from 35.5%ash.The cleaned coal can be used in powder coal-consuming industries.

Flotation of carbonaceous copper shale-quartz mixture with poly(ethylene glycol) alkyl ethers

The influence of different poly（ethylene glycol） alkyl ethers（CnH2n＋1O（C2H4O）mH, CnEm） on flotation of carbonaceous copper shale mixed with quartz as a gangue mineral was investigated. The results show that all of the ethers C4E1, C4E2, C4E3, C2E2, C6E2 investigated can be used for the flotation of carbonaceous copper shale. The best selectivity of separation in the flotation of the carbonaceous copper shale and quartz mixture is obtained with the C4E2 and C2E2 ethers. The obtained data can be used for developing separation of organic carbon present in carbonaceous shale at a rougher flotation stage on an industrial scale.

2^kFactorial Experiments on Factors that Influence the Recovery of Gold during the Upgrade of Ilesha-Itagunmodi Gold Ore through Froth Flotation

A low-grade gold ore from Ilesha-Itagunmodi, south western Nigeria was panned, dried and ball-milled before sieving into fractions. The morphological, mineralogical and chemical composition was studied by optical micro-scopy (Reflected and Transmission), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Energy Dispersive X-ray fluorescence (XRF), respectively. The sieved fractions were subjected to chemical analysis (AAS). The +106 μm sieve had the highest concentration of the mineral and was then selected for the upgrade through froth flotation using standard reagents. In this paper a report on a 2k factorial experiment that provides an understanding of the impact of operational variables on the quantity of gold mineral obtained from the ore during froth flotation is presented. Analysis results showed that Ilesha-Itagunmodi gold ore is non-refractory with fine grain particles, amenable to froth flotation and contained about 20 other associated minerals, gold had a concentration of about 0.0024%. A com-bination of P-Xanthate and amine glycol collectors at a pH of 9.2 only produced a considerable increase in gold yield. This translated to about 87.13% increase in recovery of gold from the ore. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was carried out and the model equation obtained was subsequently optimised to obtain a model equation that could be used in predicting the recoverable quantity of gold, indicating that F11,1-values for Collector concentration, Frother concentration, pH and Conditioning time were 156.86, 6.96, 43.81, and 56.77 respectively. A model with an F value of 88.41 was obtained which indicated that the model was significant. The model equation obtained was subsequently optimised to be able to predict the recoverable quantity of gold. A “Pred R-Squared” value of 0.9365 (93.65%) was also obtained and is in reasonable agreement with the “Adj R-Squared” value of 0.9534 (95.34%). It was established that Ilesha placer gold ore is amenable to froth flotation using standard reagents.