716 XXXI International Mineral Processing Congress 2024 Proceedings/Washington, DC/Sep 29–Oct 3
charge density than Magnafloc 345. In the aggregation
process, the flocs formed by Magnafloc 345 follow a bridg-
ing mechanism, resulting in larger and loosely formed flocs
compared to Magnafloc 5250, which forms medium-sized
and more compact flocs. The latter flocculant, character-
ized by medium charge density, aggregates particles to
form robust and densely packed aggregates or flocs through
a combination of multiple flocculation mechanisms,
including bridging, electrostatic patch mechanism and
hydrogen bonding (Alam et al., 2011 Amarjargal &
Taşdemir, 2023 Witham et al., 2012). On the other hand,
cationic flocculants generate small to medium-sized flocs
through three main mechanisms: charge neutralization,
bridging, and the electrostatic patch mechanism (Alam et
al., 2011 Amarjargal &Taşdemir, 2023). Previous studies
on phosphatic clay dewatering highlighted the efficacy of
Figure 4. Settling characteristics curve of FPTs slurry with different anionic and cationic polyacrylamides
Table 4. The results of the optimal flocculation-sedimentation conditions for the tested flocculants
Flocculant
Natural
Sedimentation Magnafloc 345 Magnafloc 5250 Magnafloc 504 Zetag 8167
Initial settling rate (cm/min) 1.59 13.31 13.67 12.39 12.18
Water recovery (%)69.02 82.38 83.20 78.88 79.29
Final solid content (%)22.07 34.20 35.58 29.76 30.74
Turbidity (NTU) 25.57 ± 0.59 2.65 ± 0.03 2.08 ± 0.04 1.78 ± 0.12 1.87 ± 0.07
Recycled water conductivity (µS/cm) 768 472 512 551 722
TDS (ppm) 562 342 368 397 512
Flocs size No flocs formed Big Medium-big Small-medium Small
charge density than Magnafloc 345. In the aggregation
process, the flocs formed by Magnafloc 345 follow a bridg-
ing mechanism, resulting in larger and loosely formed flocs
compared to Magnafloc 5250, which forms medium-sized
and more compact flocs. The latter flocculant, character-
ized by medium charge density, aggregates particles to
form robust and densely packed aggregates or flocs through
a combination of multiple flocculation mechanisms,
including bridging, electrostatic patch mechanism and
hydrogen bonding (Alam et al., 2011 Amarjargal &
Taşdemir, 2023 Witham et al., 2012). On the other hand,
cationic flocculants generate small to medium-sized flocs
through three main mechanisms: charge neutralization,
bridging, and the electrostatic patch mechanism (Alam et
al., 2011 Amarjargal &Taşdemir, 2023). Previous studies
on phosphatic clay dewatering highlighted the efficacy of
Figure 4. Settling characteristics curve of FPTs slurry with different anionic and cationic polyacrylamides
Table 4. The results of the optimal flocculation-sedimentation conditions for the tested flocculants
Flocculant
Natural
Sedimentation Magnafloc 345 Magnafloc 5250 Magnafloc 504 Zetag 8167
Initial settling rate (cm/min) 1.59 13.31 13.67 12.39 12.18
Water recovery (%)69.02 82.38 83.20 78.88 79.29
Final solid content (%)22.07 34.20 35.58 29.76 30.74
Turbidity (NTU) 25.57 ± 0.59 2.65 ± 0.03 2.08 ± 0.04 1.78 ± 0.12 1.87 ± 0.07
Recycled water conductivity (µS/cm) 768 472 512 551 722
TDS (ppm) 562 342 368 397 512
Flocs size No flocs formed Big Medium-big Small-medium Small