2350
Effect of Aerosol Collector Dosing on Flotation of a
Complex Ore
C. Brill, I. Verster, L.Forbes
Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre, University of Queensland, Indooroopilly, Australia
ARC Centre of Excellence on Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia
G.V. Franks
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
ARC Centre of Excellence on Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia
ABSTRACT: Thermodynamic theory predicts that collector adsorption onto a mineral surface will be greater if
it occurs at the solid-gas interface rather than at the more typical solid-liquid interface. This work explores this
concept by dosing aerosol collectors into the air supplying a flotation cell to enhance coarse particle recovery.
Batch flotation tests performed using a conventional flotation cell on a complex, naturally floatable ore show
minimal difference between collector dosing methods for high collector dosage rates. When collector dosage
rates are low, aerosol dosing methods demonstrate higher recoveries in the coarser size classes.
Keywords: aerosol collector, coarse particles, reagent addition, particle size
INTRODUCTION
The production of a range of critical minerals needs to ramp
up dramatically if we are to achieve the transition to clean
energy within a reasonable timeframe. However, mining
and minerals beneficiation processes and equipment will
need to become more efficient and sustainable to supply
these minerals without causing widescale environmental
harm (Valenta et al., 2023).
Froth flotation is important because it is the first ben-
eficiation step for a range of metals, including copper,
nickel, zinc and PGMs. In the last two decades, flotation
efficiency improvements have been realised through new
types of flotation cells intentionally designed to provide
hydrodynamic environments best suited for specific types
of particles. The high shear produced inside the Concorde
cell (Jameson, 2010) and StackCell (Mankosa et al., 2018)
provide an ideal environment for flotation of ultrafine
particles, while the quiescent environment in fluidised bed
flotation cells like the HydroFloat ™ provide conditions
suitable for coarse particle flotation (Kohmuench et al.,
2018). More recently, innovations such as the NovaCell
(Jameson and Emer, 2019) and Reflux Flotation cell (Chen
et al., 2022) incorporate different hydrodynamic zones in
the same cell in an attempt to produce a universal machine
able to effectively process a wide range of particle sizes.
An area that has not seen significant development in
recent years is the flotation chemical environment, which
is surprising, given that on an industrial operation, changes
to the chemical environment typically require less capital
expenditure than changes to the hydrodynamic environ-
ment. A topic in this area that potentially offers flotation
performance improvements is aerosol collector addition. A
review of literature published on this topic has been pub-
lished (Brill et al., 2023), so only brief notes will be pro-
vided here.
Effect of Aerosol Collector Dosing on Flotation of a
Complex Ore
C. Brill, I. Verster, L.Forbes
Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre, University of Queensland, Indooroopilly, Australia
ARC Centre of Excellence on Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia
G.V. Franks
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
ARC Centre of Excellence on Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia
ABSTRACT: Thermodynamic theory predicts that collector adsorption onto a mineral surface will be greater if
it occurs at the solid-gas interface rather than at the more typical solid-liquid interface. This work explores this
concept by dosing aerosol collectors into the air supplying a flotation cell to enhance coarse particle recovery.
Batch flotation tests performed using a conventional flotation cell on a complex, naturally floatable ore show
minimal difference between collector dosing methods for high collector dosage rates. When collector dosage
rates are low, aerosol dosing methods demonstrate higher recoveries in the coarser size classes.
Keywords: aerosol collector, coarse particles, reagent addition, particle size
INTRODUCTION
The production of a range of critical minerals needs to ramp
up dramatically if we are to achieve the transition to clean
energy within a reasonable timeframe. However, mining
and minerals beneficiation processes and equipment will
need to become more efficient and sustainable to supply
these minerals without causing widescale environmental
harm (Valenta et al., 2023).
Froth flotation is important because it is the first ben-
eficiation step for a range of metals, including copper,
nickel, zinc and PGMs. In the last two decades, flotation
efficiency improvements have been realised through new
types of flotation cells intentionally designed to provide
hydrodynamic environments best suited for specific types
of particles. The high shear produced inside the Concorde
cell (Jameson, 2010) and StackCell (Mankosa et al., 2018)
provide an ideal environment for flotation of ultrafine
particles, while the quiescent environment in fluidised bed
flotation cells like the HydroFloat ™ provide conditions
suitable for coarse particle flotation (Kohmuench et al.,
2018). More recently, innovations such as the NovaCell
(Jameson and Emer, 2019) and Reflux Flotation cell (Chen
et al., 2022) incorporate different hydrodynamic zones in
the same cell in an attempt to produce a universal machine
able to effectively process a wide range of particle sizes.
An area that has not seen significant development in
recent years is the flotation chemical environment, which
is surprising, given that on an industrial operation, changes
to the chemical environment typically require less capital
expenditure than changes to the hydrodynamic environ-
ment. A topic in this area that potentially offers flotation
performance improvements is aerosol collector addition. A
review of literature published on this topic has been pub-
lished (Brill et al., 2023), so only brief notes will be pro-
vided here.