3032 XXXI International Mineral Processing Congress 2024 Proceedings/Washington, DC/Sep 29–Oct 3
Figure 2 illustrates the inverse aspect ratio, which was
calculated using the ferret diameter of the various talcs in
the range of 0 to 1. A normal distribution of aspect ratios
(minimum/maximum Feret diameter) was observed for all
talcs. The aspect ratios of the Indian talc particles are nearly
zero, suggesting that they were more platy, as evidenced by
their less narrow distribution. In contrast, talc from the
United States is much less platy and has a low aspect ratio.
The XRD-calculated aspect ratio agrees with these findings,
showing that Indian talc has a higher aspect ratio than US
talc. It is important to note that the aspect ratio determined
using the ferret diameter in 2D micrographs of talc may
not accurately reflect the true aspect ratio of the mineral.
The aspect ratio from the SEM was used to validate that
obtained from the XRD-calculated aspect ratio
Impact of Platy Morphology in the Flotability of Talc
The flotation of all different talcs was performed under
the same conditions without the use of a collector, and the
results are shown in Figures 3 and 4. A typical recovery-
time plot is shown in Figure 3. The recovery was close to
100% after 8 min of flotation for both talcs. It is evident
from Figure 3(b) that the recovery rate for the Indian talc
was faster in the beginning compared to the United States
talc (Figure 3(a)), reaching 95% recovery after 8 min. This
indicates that the Indian talc might be more flotable than
the United States talc. Aside from the rapid recovery, the
grade-recovery curve presented in Figure 4 also shows a
high grade for the Indian talc.
In Figure 4, however, a trade-off between grade and
recovery was observed, i.e., achieving a high-grade con-
centrate while sacrificing as little recovery as possible.
Nonetheless, the total grade of Indian talc (Figure 4(b))
was 98%, while that of the US talc (Figure 4(a)) was 88%
and 65% implying that the morphology of the talc particles
may influence their flotation behaviour. To the best of my
knowledge, talc with a high platy particle content indicates
a high concentration of hydrophobic basal surfaces, which
attach to bubble surfaces carried to the froth phase. A talc
particle with a high aspect ratio or that is very platy will
have the majority of its total surface that is more hydropho-
bic, making it easily reportable into a flotation concentrate.
CONCLUSION
The study compared the results from a SEM 2D image
analysis with those from XRD, which successfully quanti-
fied the platy morphology. This paper additionally demon-
strates that the quantity of platy talc particles varied by talc
Figure 2. Inverse aspect ratio distributions of the different talc determined from 2D image
analysis
Figure 2 illustrates the inverse aspect ratio, which was
calculated using the ferret diameter of the various talcs in
the range of 0 to 1. A normal distribution of aspect ratios
(minimum/maximum Feret diameter) was observed for all
talcs. The aspect ratios of the Indian talc particles are nearly
zero, suggesting that they were more platy, as evidenced by
their less narrow distribution. In contrast, talc from the
United States is much less platy and has a low aspect ratio.
The XRD-calculated aspect ratio agrees with these findings,
showing that Indian talc has a higher aspect ratio than US
talc. It is important to note that the aspect ratio determined
using the ferret diameter in 2D micrographs of talc may
not accurately reflect the true aspect ratio of the mineral.
The aspect ratio from the SEM was used to validate that
obtained from the XRD-calculated aspect ratio
Impact of Platy Morphology in the Flotability of Talc
The flotation of all different talcs was performed under
the same conditions without the use of a collector, and the
results are shown in Figures 3 and 4. A typical recovery-
time plot is shown in Figure 3. The recovery was close to
100% after 8 min of flotation for both talcs. It is evident
from Figure 3(b) that the recovery rate for the Indian talc
was faster in the beginning compared to the United States
talc (Figure 3(a)), reaching 95% recovery after 8 min. This
indicates that the Indian talc might be more flotable than
the United States talc. Aside from the rapid recovery, the
grade-recovery curve presented in Figure 4 also shows a
high grade for the Indian talc.
In Figure 4, however, a trade-off between grade and
recovery was observed, i.e., achieving a high-grade con-
centrate while sacrificing as little recovery as possible.
Nonetheless, the total grade of Indian talc (Figure 4(b))
was 98%, while that of the US talc (Figure 4(a)) was 88%
and 65% implying that the morphology of the talc particles
may influence their flotation behaviour. To the best of my
knowledge, talc with a high platy particle content indicates
a high concentration of hydrophobic basal surfaces, which
attach to bubble surfaces carried to the froth phase. A talc
particle with a high aspect ratio or that is very platy will
have the majority of its total surface that is more hydropho-
bic, making it easily reportable into a flotation concentrate.
CONCLUSION
The study compared the results from a SEM 2D image
analysis with those from XRD, which successfully quanti-
fied the platy morphology. This paper additionally demon-
strates that the quantity of platy talc particles varied by talc
Figure 2. Inverse aspect ratio distributions of the different talc determined from 2D image
analysis