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Advances on Fine Particles and Bubbles Flotation

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A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2024) | Viewed by 14040

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Dr. Liuyi Ren

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Guest Editor

School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
Interests: microbubble flotation; particle-bubble interaction; interface; fine particle

Dr. Wencheng Xia

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Guest Editor

School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, Jiangsu, China
Interests: nanobubble; particle-bubble interaction; coal flotation; Interface

Dr. Wei Xiao

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Guest Editor

School of Resources Engineering, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
Interests: nanobubble and minerals processing

Dr. Siyuan Yang

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Guest Editor

School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
Interests: nanobubble; particle-bubble interaction; coal flotation; Interface
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Dear Colleagues,

The froth flotation process separates solid particles based on the differences in physical and surface chemistry properties. It is most efficient and cost effective for particles within a narrow size range, nominally from 10 to 100 µm for the minerals. The flotation of fine particles (-10 µm) has become particularly important in recent years as advances have been made in grinding, which allow low grade mineral deposits to be economically exploited. The poor recovery of fines by flotation can be attributed to the low probability of bubble-particle collision, which decreases with the decrease of particle size, and high probability of detachment, respectively. Particle collection by air bubbles is regarded as the heart of froth flotation operation. Then, nanobubbles, which refer to tiny bubbles mostly finer than a few hundred nanometers, can extend the lower particle size limits for effective flotation of coal, phosphate, iron ore, some typical oxidized minerals, etc. Its introduction is one effective way to solve the problem of fine particle flotation.

The Special Issue of “Advances on Fine Particles and Bubbles Flotation” welcomes studies including: fine particle flotation, microbubble flotation, nanobubble flotation, particle-bubble interaction, collision and adhesion between particle and bubble, particle–bubble interface science, the aggregation of fine particle and bubble, and the dynamic study of fine particle and bubble flotation systems. We welcome contributions from all practitioners of this scientific topic.

Dr. Liuyi Ren
Dr. Wencheng Xia
Dr. Wei Xiao
Dr. Siyuan Yang
Guest Editors

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Research

12 pages, 2028 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Nanobubbles on the Flotation Behavior of Microfine-Grained Serpentine

by Bingang Lu, Weiguang Xu, Chunhua Luo, Wenjuan Li, Xiaohui Su, Yongsheng Song, Jianhang Zhou and Kaiguo Li

Minerals 2023, 13(10), 1299; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13101299 - 07 Oct 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 971

Abstract

At present, scholars mainly study the relationship between nanobubbles and useful minerals, often ignoring the influence of bubbles on fine gangue minerals. When selecting nickel sulfide ore, scholars often faced with mudded and irrepressible serpentine, which seriously affects the quality of the concentrate. This mudded serpentine mineral often enters foam products with bubbles. In this study, the role of nanobubbles in the flotation behavior of hydrophilic serpentine was examined. Nanobubbles were successfully prepared via ultrasonic cavitation, with sizes ranging from 50 to 250 nm. The size and number of bubbles produced at 1 min and 2 min of sonication were significantly better than those of the prolonged test group, and it was found that longer sonication time did not produce better results. The stability of the nanobubbles produced via ultrasound was studied, and it was found that the nanobubbles were stable, with no change in size and only a slight decrease in number as the resting time increased. Nanobubbles were introduced into serpentine flotation, we found that the presence of nanobubbles significantly reduced the flotation recovery of serpentine. The presence of nanobubbles reduced the froth entrainment rate of microfine-grained serpentine, which in turn reduced its flotation rate. In the depressant group trials, it was found that the nanobubbles also reduced the amount of depressant. In short, the presence of nanobubbles can prevent the floating of fine hydrophilic gangues during flotation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances on Fine Particles and Bubbles Flotation)

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14 pages, 4534 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hierarchical Intelligent Control Method for Mineral Particle Size Based on Machine Learning

by Guobin Zou, Junwu Zhou, Tao Song, Jiawei Yang and Kang Li

Minerals 2023, 13(9), 1143; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13091143 - 30 Aug 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 871

Abstract

Mineral particle size is an important parameter in the mineral beneficiation process. In industrial processes, the grinding process produces pulp with qualified particle size for subsequent flotation processes. In this paper, a hierarchical intelligent control method for mineral particle size based on machine learning is proposed. In the machine learning layer, artificial intelligence technologies such as long and short memory neural networks (LSTM) and convolution neural networks (CNN) are used to solve the multi-source ore blending prediction and intelligent classification of dry and rainy season conditions, and then the ore-feeding intelligent expert control system and grinding process intelligent expert system are used to coordinate the production of semi-autogenous mill and Ball mill and Hydrocyclone (SAB) process and intelligently adjust the control parameters of DCS layer. This paper presents the practical application of the method in the SAB production process of an international mine to realize automation and intelligence. The process throughput is increased by 6.05%, the power consumption is reduced by 7.25%, and the annual economic benefit has been significantly improved. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances on Fine Particles and Bubbles Flotation)

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15 pages, 7126 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Flocculation Behavior of Ultrafine Silica Particles in Acid Leaching Pulp by Nonionic Polymeric Flocculants

by Bao Guo, Xinlei Zhan, Kaixi Jiang, Hongzhen Xie and Rongdong Deng

Minerals 2023, 13(4), 582; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13040582 - 21 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1411

Abstract

Sedimentation of ultrafine silica particles that exist in acid leaching pulp and their separation from Pregnant Leach Solution largely determines the efficiency of a hydrometallurgical process utilizing copper oxide ore. Thickener on a larger scale can allow longer sedimentation, generating low overflow turbidity but high economic input. In this paper, the flocculation behavior of quartz particles in sulfuric acid solution using nonionic flocculants polyethylene oxide (PEO) and polyacrylamide (PAM), as well as ionic cofactor montmorillonite (MMT) and nonionic cofactor tannic acid (TA), were investigated, with the dynamic size of flocs and counts of fines being monitored using an in situ particle size measurement technique, namely the focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM), under turbulent conditions. Attention was paid to variables affecting quartz flocculation properties from both physicochemical and hydrodynamic aspects such as shear intensity. The flocculation mechanism was investigated using zeta potential and dynamic light scattering measurements. It was found that the TA promotes the bridging flocculation of PEO-quartz by forming associative complexes with larger clusters in solution, while MMT electrostatically adsorbs on the quartz surface, enhancing its bridging with PAM. Low turbidity benefited from the higher shear resistance of the compact flocs structure provided by PEO/PEO + TA/PAM + MMT. Efficient solid–liquid separation was achieved by using the synergistic flocculation of small molecule cofactors and polymer flocculants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances on Fine Particles and Bubbles Flotation)

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15 pages, 17262 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Adsorption Difference of Octadecylamine on (002) and (131) Crystal Planes of Fine Muscovite and Its Guidance on Fine Muscovite Flotation

by Liuyi Ren, Ziwei Jiao, Yimin Zhang and Shenxu Bao

Minerals 2023, 13(4), 519; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13040519 - 06 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 940

Abstract

Muscovite has a typical dioctahedral crystal structure. The atoms arranged in different directions of the crystal lattice will cause the anisotropy of the physical and chemical properties of the muscovite crystal planes, which also leads to the anisotropy of these crystal planes in flotation. In this study, Materials Studio 7.0 software was used to optimize muscovite crystal cells, and some properties of the (002) crystal plane and (131) crystal plane were calculated to obtain the anisotropy of these two crystal planes in some aspects, so as to further analyze their influence on flotation behavior. The differences of adsorption between these two crystal planes and octadecamine (ODA) were analyzed by XRD and flotation. The results showed that (002) has higher surface energy and was more easily exposed than (131). Compared with Si-O bond, Al-O bond in muscovite had lower covalent bond composition and was easier to break. O atom was the active site in the flotation of muscovite, and the (131) crystal plane was more likely to adsorb with ODA than (002) crystal plane. Through the simulation results, more (131) crystal planes can be exposed in the grinding stage to improve the flotation efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances on Fine Particles and Bubbles Flotation)

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17 pages, 12857 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Frothing Performance of Frother-Collector Mixtures as Determined by Dynamic Foam Analyzer and Its Implications in Flotation

by Khandjamts Batjargal, Onur Guven, Orhan Ozdemir, Stoyan I. Karakashev, Nikolay A. Grozev, Feridun Boylu and Mehmet Sabri Çelik

Minerals 2023, 13(2), 242; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13020242 - 08 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1467

Abstract

In recent years, most of the studies have been adapted to determine the optimum conditions for the flotation of very fine minerals. In this context, besides parameters such as particle size, morphology, and pH, the effects of frother type and its concentration present a very significant role in optimizing the flotation conditions. Therefore, the effects of froth stability during flotation can be considered one of the most important issues. Considering that knowledge in mind, in this study, the foamability and froth decay rate of six frothers (PPG200, PPG400, PPG600, BTEG, BTPG, and BDPG) having different molecular weights but similar polyglycol structures were investigated. In addition, methyl isobutyl carbinol (MIBC) which is a well-known frother type in the industry was also used as a reference. Additionally, a series of tests were also performed in the presence of collectors (Dodecylamine hydrochloride, DAH, and sodium oleate, NaOL) + frother mixtures to mimic the flotation conditions. The results of these tests indicated that the bubble size became finer at even low concentrations of PPG600 and PPG400 frothers. Following that, a significant decrease in bubble size was also found for the collector + frother mixtures system regardless of the concentration of the frothers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances on Fine Particles and Bubbles Flotation)

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18 pages, 5611 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Selective Adsorption of Sodium Silicate on the Surface of Bastnaesite and Fluorite in Salicylhydroxamic Acid System under Alkaline Conditions

by Maoyuan Wang, Wenliang Xiong, Junhui Xiao, Yao Guo, Jie Deng, Da Chen, Anni Ouyang, Menglin Lei and Lijun Zhang

Minerals 2023, 13(1), 69; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13010069 - 31 Dec 2022

Viewed by 1078

Abstract

During the flotation separation process of bastnaesite, it is difficult to separate bastnaesite from fluorite effectively. In this present study, sodium silicate (SS) can effectively improve the flotation separation effect of bastnaesite and fluorite in salicylhydroxamic acid (SHA) systemasa. Through relevant analyses, such as Zeta potential measurements, adsorption capacity tests, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic analyses and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) tests, the selective suppressor of SS on fluorite was proven. At pH 10, the single mineral flotation results show that with the increase of SS dosage, the flotation recovery of fluorite rapidly decreases from 61.5% to 35.31%, while the flotation rate of bastnaesite is still high (recovery is 80.02%). Then, the experiment of artificial mixed ore proved that the flotation separation of fluorite and bastnaesite was effective under the appropriate dosage of inhibitor. The results of potentiodynamic measurement and an adsorption capacity test showed that the

SiO {(OH)}_{3}^{-}

structure of SS more easily reacted with fluorite, which further prevented the adsorption of SHA on the fluorite surface. FTIR test results and XPS analysis further showed that SS had a strong binding effect with the Ca site on the fluorite surface, but a weak binding effect with the Ce site on the bastnaesite surface. Consequently, SS can be used as an effective inhibitor in the flotation separation of fluorite and bastnaesite. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances on Fine Particles and Bubbles Flotation)

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17 pages, 6154 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Prospect of Recovering Vanadium, Nickel, and Molybdenum from Stone Coal by Using Combined Beneficiation and Metallurgy Technology Based on Mineralogy Features

by Miao Wang, Liulu Cai, Jiankang Wen, Wenjuan Li, Xinlong Yang and Hongying Yang

Minerals 2023, 13(1), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13010021 - 23 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1528

Abstract

Black shale ore contains rich strategic metal resources such as vanadium, nickel, and molybdenum, but due to its complex composition, it is currently only used in the vanadium extraction industry. Metals such as nickel and molybdenum have not been effectively recovered, resulting in environmental pollution and resource waste. Using mineralogical features and a combination of beneficiation and metallurgy-based tests, the present work carried out feasibility studies of the combined beneficiation and metallurgy processes. The mineralogical features of the stone coal sample were studied using chemical analysis, an automatic mineral analyzer (BPMA), etc., and we identified the main phase composition, embedded characteristics, and particle size distribution of the associated strategic metals, vanadium, nickel, and molybdenum. The results showed that the grade of V₂O₅ in the stone coal was 1.29%, which was mainly present in carbonaceous clay and mica minerals. The nickel grade was 0.53%, mainly in the form of nickel–magnesium spinel and a small amount of nickel-containing magnesite. The stone coal contained 0.11% molybdenum; the mineral particles were fine, mostly in the form of molybdenite, and some were associated with carbonaceous matter and carbonaceous clay minerals. Based on the mineralogical feature, we proposed using the scrubbing–desliming and flotation process to enrich vanadium, nickel, and molybdenum. Our preliminary experiments obtained two products: vanadium–molybdenum-rich sludge and nickel-containing tailings. The V₂O₅ and molybdenum grades in the sludge were 4.10% and 0.44%, respectively, and the recovery was 41.31% and 51.40%, respectively. The nickel grade in the tailings was 1.49%. These products were roasted and leached. The vanadium, nickel, and molybdenum in the stone coal were effectively recovered through the beneficiation–metallurgy combination process, and the comprehensive utilization rate of the stone coal was improved. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances on Fine Particles and Bubbles Flotation)

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12 pages, 2873 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Microflotation of Fine Rutile and Garnet with Different Particle Size Fractions

by Zheyi Zhang, Liuyi Ren, Yimin Zhang and Shenxu Bao

Minerals 2022, 12(10), 1238; https://doi.org/10.3390/min12101238 - 28 Sep 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1159

Abstract

In this paper, −10 μm rutile and −30 μm garnet particles were selected as samples. The effects of different reagents on the flotation of rutile and garnet single minerals were studied, and the mechanism was analyzed by the contact angle, zeta potential, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) measurements. The flotation results show that an optimal recovery is obtained with benzohydroxamic acid (BHA) as the collector for rutile and sodium silicofluoride (SSF) as the inhibitor for garnet. Even with BHA having a good collecting performance for both rutile and garnet, there are still some differences. BHA greatly improves the hydrophobicity of rutile and garnet, and changes the chemical environment of rutile but not garnet. SSF significantly reduces the hydrophobicity of rutile and garnet, and slightly affects the environment in which BHA interacts with rutile. However, the above reagents and combinations have little effect on the surface chemical environment of garnet. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances on Fine Particles and Bubbles Flotation)

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11 pages, 3040 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sedimentation of Fine Arsenopyrite with PEI and the Flotation Significance

by Pingtian Ming, Dan Zou, Fei Li, Qingqing Xing and Zhen Wang

Minerals 2022, 12(7), 824; https://doi.org/10.3390/min12070824 - 28 Jun 2022

Viewed by 1114

Abstract

The flotation of fine mineral particles is always a difficult problem. The flotation of fine arsenopyrite particles (−20 μm) in a sodium butyl xanthate (SBX) system was studied by using polyethyleneimine (PEI) as a flocculant. The flocculation properties of PEI on fine arsenopyrite were studied using sedimentation tests. The results showed that the optimum pH for the sedimentation of PEI was approximately 7.5; the higher the molecular weight (M.W.) of the flocculant, the better the sedimentation effect. In the flotation experiments, it was found that the flotation recovery of PEI-3 with high M.W. as flocculant was only 57%, while the flotation recovery of PEI-2 with medium M.W. was 90% under respective optimum conditions. The contact angle tests showed that the natural contact angle of arsenopyrite was 37°; the addition of moderate PEI-2 had a slightly negative influence on the hydrophobicity of arsenopyrite in the SBX system. From the size analysis results, the maximum particle size (D₁₀₀) and median size (D₅₀) of the arsenopyrite increased from 20 and 11 μm to 48 and 28 μm after treatment with 40 mg/L PEI-2, a size more conducive to bubble capture. From the combination of these results, it can be concluded that PEI-2 improved the flotation of fine arsenopyrite mainly by increasing the particle size to a suitable range through flocculation. The XPS results indicated that the adsorption of PEI-2 on the arsenopyrite surface was due to the chemisorption between the imino group and the active Fe/As sites. Applying PEI-2 to a fine disseminated arsenopyrite-type gold ore, a concentrate containing 36 g/t Au with a Au recovery of 88% can be obtained. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances on Fine Particles and Bubbles Flotation)

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14 pages, 2924 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Efficient Separation of Ultrafine Coal Assisted by Selective Adsorption of Polyvinylpyrrolidone

by Yujie Mei, Qiuyu Lin, Changning Wu, Wei Huang, Daofan Cao and Ke Liu

Minerals 2022, 12(6), 725; https://doi.org/10.3390/min12060725 - 06 Jun 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1586

Abstract

The efficient separation of ultrafine coal is a challenging process due to the ultrafine particle size and gangue entrainment. In this study, a polymer, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), was introduced as a regulator for ultrafine coal beneficiation. The addition of PVP improved the combustible recovery of clean coal and decreased the ash content. This effect was also presented by the selectivity index. The regulation mechanism of PVP was investigated using diverse methods. The adsorption tests performed demonstrated the adsorption amount of PVP on coal, kaolinite, and quartz, which were related to the increase in the separation efficiency. A zeta potential analyzer was employed to elucidate the effect of PVP on the electrical properties of ultrafine particles. The results revealed that the electrokinetic potential of mineral was sensitive to the varying PVP concentration. The particle size distribution was observed to value the influence of PVP on the particle behavior, which was tested by a laser particle size analyzer. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to investigate the surface elemental compositions of coal, kaolinite, and quartz, which were regulated by the adsorption of PVP. This research is beneficial to understanding the role of PVP as regulators and provides a basis for the efficient separation of ultrafine coal. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances on Fine Particles and Bubbles Flotation)

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