Cobalt Beneficiation Technique
Objective Develop new technolgies and techniques which enable recovery of strategic and critical minerals such as cobalt from domestic resources, thereby easing the U.S. dependence upon foreign producers for these valuable commodities. Approach The Bureau of Mines, through research, developed a process which uses mineral beneficiation techniques to recover cobalt-rich products from Missouri lead ores. […]
Yield Index – Flotation Result Analysis
A new procedure for determining the optimum separation for any unit operation. This procedure is based on maximization of the yield index, YI, which is the product of the yield (or valuable recovery) and gangue rejection. In addition, the characteristics of the yield index and the separation efficiency are compared and contrasted. As indicated earlier, […]
Colemanite Clay Flotation
Floatability of colemanite was determined using a 150-ml column cell (25 x 220 mm) with a fine fritt and magnetic stirrer. One gram of sample was conditioned in 150 ml of a solution containing SDS for 10 min. and floated for one min. using nitrogen gas at a flow rate of 50 cm³/min. The microflotation […]
Column Flotation Cell Baffles
The increased use of flotation columns is due to their superior separation efficiency compared to conventional flotation. This increased efficiency can be attributed to: The countercurrent movement of slurry and air bubbles increases the probability of bubble / particle attachment. This is accomplished by larger aerated volume of the cell, longer concentration gradient between froth […]
First Order Flotation Rate Equation
Many investigators showed that mineral flotation can be described as a first-order process (Sutherland, 1948; Tomlison and Fleming, 1963). In this case, the rate of flotation can be represented by: dN/dt = -kN……………………………………………………(1) where N is the number of floatable (or hydrophobic) particles present in a flotation cell and k is the rate constant. It […]
Flotation of Low Quality Coal
To understand interactions between physical and chemical variables, a synthesis rather than an analytical approach is needed. In analytical approach, sub-processes of a system are isolated to determine the cause and effect relationships between performance of the sub-process and the system variables, whereas in synthesis approach a global view is taken to identify various interactions. […]
Fine Gold Recovery by Flotation
In view of the tendency of fine gold recover by floating and the dominance of heavy minerals, the prospects for flotation were worthy of re-investigation, particularly with the new tools of the air sparged hydrocyclone (ASH) and the flotation column. Although gold readily and naturally forms a hydrophobic film, dithiophosphates have been advanced as more […]
Column Flotation Pilot Scale Testing
Flotation feed was obtained at the various preparation plants by diverting slurry from either the thickener feed, classifying cyclone overflow or fine refuse sump depending on the plant circuit. In each case, the slurry was obtained from a waste stream prior to any flocculant addition and stored in a 650 liter (170 gallon) agitated mix […]
Sodium Silicate in Phosphate Flotation
Some factors adversely affect the efficiency of anionic flotation of phosphate in the absence of sodium silicate, thereby decreasing the concentrate grade. Impurities originally present on the quartz surface might be responsible for this adverse effect, but the precipitates heterocoagulated onto the surface of quartz also appeared to play a role. Dissolved ions, especially Ca++, […]
MBT 2 Mercaptobenzothiazole Flotation Collector
To study the effects of collector and hydrogen ion concentrations on the floatabllity of sulfide minerals, a series of flotation experiments were conducted in which flotation recoveries as a function of pH were measured by flotation tests in a laboratory flotator. The results of flotation tests using -100 +200 mesh size galena particles as a […]