The flotation of chrysocolla by mercaptan

Laboratory experiments have demonstrated that chrysocolla and malachite can be floated with a mercaptan as collector. In contrast, even when used in large quantities, the higher xanthate homologs (hexyl, dodecyl) will float malachite but not chrysocolla. The flotation of chrysocolla with mercaptan is readily accomplished in a pristine system, but in the presence of finely ground gangue particles, additions of the mercaptan to the grinding mill gave superior recoveries to those achieved when the mercaptan is added to the flotation cell. A model for the attachment of the mercaptan to the chrysocolla surface is proposed which involves the reaction of molecular mercaptan with the copper sites. This results in the formation of copper mercaptide at the surface and the splitting off of a molecule of water. By extension, this model should describe the reaction of mercaptan with any base metal oxide or sulfide mineral where the metal mercaptide is relatively insoluble.     

The stabilizing effect of Na2S on the collector coating of chrysocolla

The heterogeneous reaction between natural and sulphidized chrysocolla and potassium amyl xanthate in solution is investigated.It is found that, together with the consumption of large amounts of xanthate, particles composed of the reaction products are spontaneously released from the surface of chrysocolla giving rise to a colloidal dispersion. In principle the mechamism is related to the peptizing effect of the excess xanthate ions that are found when Cu²⁺ and X^? ions are made to react in a homogeneous phase.In sulphidized chrysocolla this phenomenon is markedly reduced, showing that Na₂S has a stabilizing effect on the collector coating.Flotation experiments performed with aqueous amyl dixanthogen emulsions show that stable adhesion occurs only on properly sulphidized chrysocolla. It is believed that the mechanism controlling adhesion in this case is similar to that which determines the stability of the collector layer.     

Sulphidizing reactions in the flotation of oxidized copper minerals,II. Role of the adsorption and oxidation of sodium sulphide in the flotation of chrysocolla and malachite

The rate of consumption of sulphide in the sulphidizing reactions of malachite and chrysocolla has been measured. The oxidation of sulphide ions at the surface of sulphidized chrysocolla was shown to take place. The influence of thiosulphate anions on the xanthate flotation of sulphidized malachite and chrysocolla was investigated and it was shown to depress the flotation of chrysocolla strongly.The result suggest, that the presence of thiosulphate as a product of simultaneous oxidation can be one of the reasons for the more difficult flotation of sulphidized chrysocolla.     

Studies on the flotation of sulphides. II. The effect of urea on the flotation of zinc sulphide

The effect of three hydrophilic non-electrolytes on the flotation of ZnS has been studied using a Fuerstenau microflotation cell. The rate of flotation increases with increasing concentrations of urea(OC(NH₂)₂), but is unaffected by thiourea and slightly decreased by sucrose. This effect of urea was observed with all samples of ZnS (synthetic and natural) studied, is unaffected by extensive purification of the urea and by the presence or absence of O₂, and is reversed by dilution. Urea also increases the rate of flotation (in a Partridge and Smith cell) in the absence of frother. Surface tension measurements showed the absence of detectable concentrations of surfactants in the urea. The presence of urea has no effect on the rate of sedimentation (i.e. on the degree of aggregation) of ZnS or on the volume of water carried over during flotation. It is suggested that the effect of urea is (at least in part) to increase the rate of bubble-particle attachment by modifying the structure of water.     

The effect of dextrin on surface properties and the flotation of molybdenite

The effect of dextrin on molybdenite surface properties has been investigated experimentally through measurements of zeta potentials, adsorption densities, contact angles, Hallimond tube flotation and oil flotation response. These studies indicate that the adsorption of dextrin on molybdenite occurs through physical interaction with the surface, possibly due to hydrophobic bonding. The hydrophobic bonding mechanism is in accord with the magnitude of the adsorption free energy, which was estimated to be—5.4 kcal per mole of dextrin monomers. Dextrin was found to be a very effective depressant for the air flotation of molybdenite in the absence of a collector, whereas it does not effectively depress molybdenite in an oil flotation process using iso-octane. This has been discussed qualitatively from the contributions of electrical double layer repulsion, van der Waals' attraction, and hydration effects.     

The effect of bubble size on the rate of flotation of fine particles

Flotation experiments have been carried out in a cell in which bubbles of known size could be generated independently of the turbulence levels, which could be controlled by varying the impeller speed. The mean bubble size ranged from 75 μm to 655 μm.Results are reported for the flotation rates of fine particles, less than 50 μm diameter. The materials floated were polystyrene latex particles, quartz and zircon. These were chosen to give a wide range of specific gravity.It was found that the flotation rate was very strongly affected by the bubble size, there being an increase of up to one hundred-fold when the bubble size was reduced from 655 μm to 75 μm. Effects of particle density and impeller speed are also reported.     

The effect of hydrodynamic conditions on true flotation and entrainment in flotation of a complex sulphide ore

The separation efficiency and selectivity of flotation are directly proportional to recoveries of the mineral species in the feed due to true flotation and entrainment. In this study, effects of the hydrodynamic conditions on true flotation and entrainment were investigated by using a fractional factorial experimental design. A method previously described in the literature was applied to determine the contributions of true flotation and entrainment in flotation of a complex sulphide ore. In order to apply the method, the kinetic flotation tests were conducted under various hydrodynamic conditions defined by some physical variables. Some of these tests were conducted in the presence and absence of a collector to evaluate the self-induced floatability. The selectivity index of the mineral species for entrainment was seen to be suitable evaluation of the non-selectivity and efficiency of the entrainment. Furthermore, the results of the size-by-size analysis of the froth products indicated that the presence of the self-induced hydrophobic particles in the feed is as important as the presence of very fine particles for accurate estimation of true flotation and entrainment in flotation of a complex sulphide ore. In addition, the estimated results for entrainment in flotation of the complex sulphide ore can be misleading. Therefore, a new approach would be necessary to determine the contributions of true flotation and entrainment in flotation of a complex sulphide ore.     

The effect of thermal treatment on the 57Fe Mössbauer spectrum of beryl

Mössbauer spectra (MS) of blue, green and yellow beryl (ideally Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈) containing approximately 1% of iron were obtained at 295 and 500 K. Room temperature (RT) spectra of both blue and green samples showed the presence of an asymmetric Fe²⁺ doublet (ΔE _Q~2.7 mm/s, δ~1.1 mm/s), with a very broad low-velocity peak. There is no clear evidence for the presence of a ferric component. The MS of the yellow sample at RT consists of an intense central absorption with parameters typical for Fe³⁺ (ΔE _Q~0.4 mm/s, δ~0.29 mm/s), plus an apparently symmetrical Fe²⁺ doublet. This sample acquires a light-blue shade upon heating in air at about 620 K. Thermal treatments at high temperatures caused no significant changes in the MS, but the green and yellow beryl acquire a blue colour. All these results are interpreted in relation to the existence of channel water and the distribution of iron among the available crystallographic sites.     

Studies on the flotation of sulphides. I. The effect of Cu(II) ions on the flotation of zinc sulphide

The effect of Cu(II) ions on the froth flotation of ZnS in the absence of any collector has been studied in a Fuerstenau microflotation cell. The flotation of pure synthetic ZnS, in both cubic and hexagonal modifications, can be greatly enhanced by the adsorption of traces of Cu(II) ions. In the case of cubic ZnS, the “activating” effect of Cu(II): (a) involves the stoichiometric replacement of one Zn(II) ion in the lattice by one Cu(II) ion from solution at a rate which is independent of pH (1–5); (b) is noticeable at coverages corresponding to as little as 0.1% of a monolayer, reaches a maximum at coverages of 2–100% of a monolayer, and decreases again at higher coverages; (c) is unaffected by the presence or absence of O₂, by variation of the pH of flotation (6–10), by heating in vacuum at 250°C for two hours or by storing in the dry state for over one year; and (d) does not appear to involve any significant change in surface area or in the state of aggregation of the particles.     

The effect of particle shape and hydrophobicity in flotation

The effect of particle shape on the flotation process has been investigated in laboratory experiments with monosized spherical ballotini and ground ballotini. The particles were treated by partial methylation with trimethylchlorosilane to achieve varying degrees of hydrophobicity. In flotation, the process of film thinning and liquid drainage is critical in the formation of stable bubble–particle attachments and this is affected by the particle shape and surface hydrophobicity. Flotation tests with different particle sizes were conducted in a modified batch Denver cell. Predictions from a computational fluid dynamic model of the flotation cell that incorporates fundamental aspects of bubble–particle attachment were compared with data from flotation tests. Contact angles of the particles were measured using a capillary rise technique to indicate surface hydrophobicity. Ground ballotini generally has higher flotation rates than spherical ballotini; the results are consistent with effects from faster film thinning and rupture at rough surfaces and are well correlated by the sphericity index.     

The joint effect of rank and grain size on the flotation of Australian bituminous coals

Laboratory batch flotation tests were carried out to determine the effect of grain size on the recovery of four Australian bituminous coals of high and low rank. The flotation concentrates, taken over successive time intervals, and the tailings, were sized and the recovery-size curves plotted. A method was developed for determining the proportions of liberated and composite grains in the various flotation products. Flotation tests were carried out in the presence of methylisobutylcarbinol (MIBC) and MIBC + kerosene. The shapes of the recovery-size curves depended on the rank of the coal and whether or not kerosene was present. The variation of the recovery with size was explained in terms of the joint effect of rank and size on the floatability of composite grains.     

The effect of air flow rate on the kinetics of flotation. Part 3: Selectivity

The flotation rate from the slurry to the froth of a strongly hydrophobic galena and weakly conditioned chalcopyrite were determined in a batch experimental flotation cell, as a function of air flow rate (AFR). The selectivity of the transfer from the slurry to the froth was found to be highest at intermediate AFR, and lowest at very low or very high AFR. The flotation rate of a strongly conditioned magnetite-galena mixture was investigated in the same cell as a function of AFR and froth thickness (FT). The rate constant which characterizes the transfer rate from the froth over the cell lip was found to be identical for both minerals within experimental errors.     

The effect of slime coatings of the serpentine minerals,chrysotile and lizardite,on pentlandite flotation

Serpentine minerals in the gangue often interfere with the concentration of nickel sulfide ores. The influence of slime coatings of the serpentine minerals chrysotile and lizardite on the flotation of unoxidized pentlandite has been studied. In addition to microflotation testing at pH 9 with potassium amyl xanthate collector, electrophoresis and scanning electron microscopy have been used. The formation of a slime coating was found to be directly related to the surface charges on the slime and the sulfide mineral. Chemical additives which modified the slime surface charge, such as carboxy methyl cellulose, dextrin, sodium pyrophosphate and sodium silicate, were shown to be effective in reducing the adverse influence of the slime on the flotation of pentlandite.     

The influence of humic materials on the flotation of coal

The effect of humic material on the flotation response of coal has been examined. The results show that while hydrogen ions do not adversely affect the flotation of coal particles, they interact with humic material adsorbed on the surface of the clay particles and render their surfaces oleophilic. This behaviour enables the clay particles to adsorb collector in preference to the coal particles and thus inhibit coal flotation.     

Galvanic interaction between grinding media and arsenopyrite and its effect on flotation: Part II. Effect of grinding on flotation

Arsenopyrite floatability was correlated with the galvanic current, calculated from polarization curves measured during grinding, as well as the amount of oxidized iron, measured by EDTA extraction, in the mill discharge. The adverse influence of galvanic interaction during grinding on arsenopyrite floatability was quantified.     

Impeller/stator interactions in a laboratory flotation machine: The effect of wear on suction

The suction generated by several different combinations of impeller and stator has been measured. An experimental method provides information on the separate contribution of the impeller, while the stator contribution is calculated from an interaction model. The effect of wear as indicated by reversing the direction of rotation is discussed.     

The optimisation of flotation networks

The generalised optimisation of a flotation network is studied by means of using variable connections (structural parameters) and variable enhancement factors which are used instead of a flotation model to describe the separation process. The enhancement factors are functions of variables affecting the flotation process. These functional relationship may be derived by means of using a flotation model. Bounds are placed on the enhancement factors by means of either using a flotation model or by inspection of existing pilot or commercial plant data. These bounds, together with external, system and mass balance constraints and an appropriate objective function, define the general optimisation problem for a flotation network.The optimisation problem above may be solved by non-linear programming methods, however, it is easily transformable into a Linear Programme which is easy to solve. The procedure has been applied to a flotation circuit comprising three banks of cells for which an optimal set of connections and enhancement factors has been computed for varying constraints.A simulation procedure based on a gamma flotation model has been applied to one of the optimal circuits so as to compute the flotation variables.     

The effect of air flow rate on the kinetics of flotation. Part 1: The transfer of material from the slurry to the froth

Bubble size distributions and flotation rates were determined as a function of air flow rate and frother concentration using a specially designed batch flotation cell. This cell permitted the unambiguous determination of the flotation rate from the slurry to the froth.Flotation rate constants were determined for different size classes of silica and galena. The flotation rate constants increased to a maximum and then decreased as air flow rate was increased. This maximum was predicted by a model which considered the effect of bubble size on both the total bubble surface area and the bubble-particle collision efficiency. This work shows that collision efficiency effects, shown to exist in single-bubble/single-particle systems, are also present in flotation systems where many bubbles and particles interact.A second model for hindered flotation is proposed which assumes that the particle-capturing bubble surface differs from the particle-retaining surface. This model predicts a sharp transition from hindered to free flotation. Experimental results are presented which agree well with those derived from the model.     

Characterization and pore structure analysis of a copper ore containing chrysocolla

The physical and chemical characteristics of a chrysocolla-bearing copper ore have been investigated with special emphasis on elucidation of its pore structure through gas adsorption techniques. The effect of such variables as particle size and outgassing temperature on the pore structure and size distribution has been investigated in detail. The results obtained show that the chrysocolla is a microporous solid and that its microporous nature can be considerably altered by heat treatment around 550°C. A possible reason for the so-called “thermal activation of chrysocolla” has been postulated.