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Minerals
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Seawater Flotation
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Seawater Flotation

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 (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 6688

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Yubiao Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
Interests: flotation of sulfide minerals; purification and deep processing of non-metallic minerals; hydrometallurgical processing of minerals; comprehensive utilization of tailings

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The mining industry plays an irreplaceable role in the development of human beings. Flotation processes, which predominate the collection of minerals in the mining industry, consume a massive amount of freshwater. The use of freshwater in floatation has often been limited by many factors, such as the availability of local freshwater resources, competing water use for the growing world population and other industries, and stringent environmental regulations. Seawater, which occupies 97.5% of water resources on Earth, is therefore a promising alternative water source for mineral flotation. However, various inorganic ions contained in seawater have a significant influence on the mineral flotation process. This Special issue will cover the latest developments in the seawater flotation of minerals. The flotation kinetics and the mechanisms of minerals in seawater flotation systems are different from those in fresh water, limiting the application of seawater in the mining industry. Therefore, fundamental knowledge in terms of flotation reagents, different ions, precipitation and adsorption, surface oxidation, etc. are essential to enable the seawater flotation of minerals.

Prof. Dr. Yubiao Li
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • surface oxidation
  • selective flotation
  • depressants
  • seawater flotation
  • crystal face
  • sulfide minerals
  • flotation kinetics
  • precipitation
  • DFT
  • green reagents
  • hydrophobicity

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 1777 KiB  
Article
Using Waste Brine from Desalination Plant as a Source of Industrial Water in Copper Mining Industry
by Constanza Cruz, Sebastián Herrera-León, Daniel Calisaya-Azpilcueta, Ruth Salazar, Luis A. Cisternas and Andrzej Kraslawski
Minerals 2022, 12(9), 1162; https://doi.org/10.3390/min12091162 - 14 Sep 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2323
Abstract
One of the main challenges of seawater desalination is a large volume of waste brine production that is commonly discharged into the sea and may threaten the marine ecosystem. This is critical in regions where conventional water resources are scarce and desalinated seawater [...] Read more.
One of the main challenges of seawater desalination is a large volume of waste brine production that is commonly discharged into the sea and may threaten the marine ecosystem. This is critical in regions where conventional water resources are scarce and desalinated seawater is an alternative to meet water demand. Especially in regions where the mining industry is a key player in the economic development. The novelty of this research consists in the determination of the potential use of waste brine, discharged from the reverse osmosis process, as a source of industrial water in copper mining industry. To enable the waste brine applicability, there should be reduced calcium and magnesium ions concentration for improving copper recovery in the froth flotation process. The flotation tests were conducted in a batch cell with synthetic minerals composed of chalcopyrite, kaolinite, and quartz using different water qualities. The results showed that treated waste brine significantly improved copper recovery compared to untreated waste brine and seawater. Similar copper recovery was achieved when flotation test was performed with tap water and treated waste brine. Therefore, treated waste brine could provide a suitable water quality required in the froth flotation process as an alternative non-conventional water resource. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Seawater Flotation)
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16 pages, 4666 KiB  
Article
A Quantitative Relationship between Oxidation Index and Chalcopyrite Flotation Recovery
by Xu Yang, Yubiao Li, Wen Chen, Wanqing Duan, Qing Xiao and Tingting Jiang
Minerals 2022, 12(7), 888; https://doi.org/10.3390/min12070888 - 15 Jul 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1409
Abstract
The surface oxidation of chalcopyrite is one of the most important factors affecting its flotation performance. In this study, a critical oxidation degree is proposed to define “slight” and “significant” oxidation in terms of surface species and chalcopyrite flotation recovery. Slight oxidation enhanced [...] Read more.
The surface oxidation of chalcopyrite is one of the most important factors affecting its flotation performance. In this study, a critical oxidation degree is proposed to define “slight” and “significant” oxidation in terms of surface species and chalcopyrite flotation recovery. Slight oxidation enhanced chalcopyrite hydrophobicity, but significant oxidation reduced its recovery apparently. Microthermokinetic measurements indicated that the apparent activation energy (Ea) of chalcopyrite oxidation was reduced from around 173 kJ·mol−1 to 163 kJ·mol−1 when the reaction changed from slight oxidation to significant oxidation when applying H2O2. The surface oxidation degree was defined as the ratio of hydrophilic species to hydrophobic species. The highest recovery (94.8%) and contact angle (93°) were achieved at a concentration of 0.1 vol.% H2O2, with the lowest oxidation degree of 0.388 being observed. The oxidation degree was correlated to the flotation recovery, with a quantitative relationship (y = −298.81x + 213.05, y and x represent flotation recovery and oxidation degree, respectively, 0.388 ≤ x ≤ 0.618) being established, thereby giving a guideline to better manage chalcopyrite flotation by controlling its surface oxidation and SBX adsorption on chalcopyrite surfaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Seawater Flotation)
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15 pages, 3539 KiB  
Article
Roles and Influences of Kerosene on Chalcopyrite Flotation in MgCl2 Solution: EDLVO and DFT Approaches
by Wanqing Li, Yubiao Li, Shaobing Xie, Wanqing Duan and Wen Chen
Minerals 2022, 12(1), 48; https://doi.org/10.3390/min12010048 - 29 Dec 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1754
Abstract
Seawater has been increasingly used as an alternative to freshwater in mineral flotation. Although previous studies suggest that Mg2+ ions in seawater have the primary negative roles in chalcopyrite flotation, insufficient work has been conducted to understand the effects of kerosene as [...] Read more.
Seawater has been increasingly used as an alternative to freshwater in mineral flotation. Although previous studies suggest that Mg2+ ions in seawater have the primary negative roles in chalcopyrite flotation, insufficient work has been conducted to understand the effects of kerosene as a collector in chalcopyrite flotation. In this study, the influence of kerosene emulsion on chalcopyrite floatability in a solution containing Mg2+ was systematically investigated. The results indicated that the addition of kerosene significantly reduced the adsorption of hydrophilic Mg-precipitates onto the chalcopyrite’s surface. In addition to contact angle, zeta potential, optical microscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analyses, extended Derjguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (EDLVO) theory and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were conducted to understand the influencing mechanisms of kerosene on chalcopyrite flotation. The adsorption energies showed an order of kerosene and Mg(OH)2 > kerosene and chalcopyrite > chalcopyrite and Mg(OH)2, indicating kerosene was preferentially adsorbed on the Mg(OH)2 surface, forming agglomerates and therefore reducing the adsorption of Mg(OH)2 precipitates onto the chalcopyrite’s surface. In addition, hydrophobic agglomerates were also formed due to the attachment of kerosene to the chalcopyrite’s surface when additional kerosene was added, further enhancing chalcopyrite floatability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Seawater Flotation)
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