2
to environmental concerns, there is an increasing demand
for new, low-toxicity, specialty surfactants in all industries.
Biosurfactants differ from conventional surfactants in
that they have large head groups, which can be enhanced
with additional ionic or non-ionic functionalities, as well as
branched hydrocarbon chains that may contain cis defects.
This complexity in both chemistry and structure could lead
to the development of new mechanisms for how surfactants
interact with minerals, although these mechanisms have
not yet been fully explored (Dhar et al., 2021).
Locus Mining has been at the forefront of researching
the interaction between biosurfactants and minerals since its
founding in 2022. The company now produces biosurfac-
tants cost-effectively, ensuring they are sustainable, renew-
able, and, most importantly, more effective than traditional
synthetic surfactants derived from hydrocarbon feedstocks.
This paper will demonstrate the significant potential appli-
cations of these biosurfactants in the iron ore flotation from
initial application to a client sample.
MATERIALS
Ore Sample
Two samples were used for the flotation tests. In the first
phase of the research, an analog sample was tested, while in
the second phase, an ore sample from an iron mine opera-
tion in the Americas was used to identify the optimized test
conditions. Table 1 presents the assays for each sample.
Reagents
In the first phase, eight different types of biosurfactants
were tested individually or in a mixed composition result-
ing in eight final distinct Locus Mining products after opti-
mization. Additionally, in both phases one and two, MIBC,
pine oil, and amine were also tested. Table 2 shows all the
reagents and the phases in which they were applied.
Glycolipids represent one of the largest and most
intriguing groups of biosurfactants, garnering significant
research interest due to their higher fermentation yields and
versatility in various applications (Mahmoudkhani et al.,
2022). Locus Minig biosurfactants fall within this category,
although they are not limited to it. A few key chemical
structures of glycolipids are illustrated in Figure 1.
Table 1. Ore sample
Assays
Analog Australian
Mine Sample
[%]
American Iron Ore
Operation Sample
[%]
Fe2O3 57.64 83.54
Fe 40.33 58.46
SiO
2 38.44 7.55
Al2O3 0.87 0.86
Cao 0.03
—
P
2 O
5 0.14
— S 0.01
— TiO2 0.03
—
Table 2. Reagents list
Item Name Reference Type Phase
01 Bio-FPL-01A Locus Mining Biosurfactant phase01
02 Bio-FPL-02 Locus Mining Biosurfactant phase01
03 Bio-FPL-01B Locus Mining Biosurfactant phase01
04 Bio-BDOE-03A Locus Mining Biosurfactant phase01
05 Bio-BDOE-03B Locus Mining Biosurfactant phase01
06 Bio-BDOE-04 Locus Mining Biosurfactant phase01
07 Bio-BDOE-05 Locus Mining Biosurfactant phase01
08 Bio-BDOE-06 Locus Mining Biosurfactant phase01
09 Pine Oil Other Supplier Frother phase01
10 MIBC Other Supplier Frother phase01&02
11 Amine Other Supplier Collector phase01&02
12 FrothBoost AAP2 Locus Mining Biosurfactant formulated phase02
13 FrothBoost AAP4 Locus Mining Biosurfactant formulated phase02
14 FrothBoost AAP3 Locus Mining Biosurfactant formulated phase02
15 FrothBoost AAP1 S0 Locus Mining Biosurfactant formulated phase02
16 FrothBoost AAP1 DS Locus Mining Biosurfactant formulated phase02
17 FrothBoost AAP1 IS Locus Mining Biosurfactant formulated phase02
18 FrothBoost AAP1 S Locus Mining Biosurfactant formulated phase02
19 FrothBoost AIAP1 Locus Mining Biosurfactant formulated phase02