Any

operation in which one solid is separated from one another by floating one of them at or on the surface of fluid (Brown, 1950) of mixed liberated particles in terms of their wettability differences (Perry, 1997) on the differences in the surface chemical properties (i.e. wettability)

Separation

Based

 One

solid more readily adsorbs the water phase, becomes surrounded by water, and sinks
other solid more readily adsorbs air and becomes at least partially surrounded or covered by air

The

The average or bulk density of the solid and adsorbed air bubbles is less than that of water

The whole mass of air and solid floats to the surface to form a mineralized froth

Prepare a water suspension of a

mixture of relatively finesized particles

(smaller than 150 micrometers)

Particles that are not wetted by water tend to attached to air bubbles

The air bubbles levitate (float) to the top of the process vessel

Contact the suspension with a

swarm of air bubbles of air in a suitably designed

process vessel

Particles which are readily wetted by water - remain in suspension

Collect in a froth layer

 Used

in the mineral process industry to concentrate mineral values (i.e. copper, lead, zinc, molybdenum and nickel)
for the recovery of fine coal and for the concentration of a wide range of mineral commodities

Used

 Wastewater

treatment to remove particulate, organic and biological contaminants of metallic values

Extraction Removal

of heavy metal compounds from hydrometallurgical streams (precipitation flotation) of bitumen from tar sands

Recovery

 Deinking Recovery

of wastepaper

of solids from white waste in paper making wastes of glass sands from industrial

Recovery

Removal

of impurities from peas

 Removal

of ergot from rye

of proteins from milk of fruit juice

Separation

Clarification Extraction

of soluble species (ion flotation and foam fractionation)

Rougher

The first step

Conditioning

Rougher

The slurry or the pulp, consisting of particles to be separated is fed in the conditioning to which the necessary flotation reagents are added
Particles are finely divided material reduced by the ball mill or other fine crusher, usually varying in size from 20 mesh to under 200 mesh

The first step

Conditioning

Rougher

Purpose: to create physicalchemical conditions for achieving appropriate selectivity between particle species that are to be separated To cause complete filming of the solid by the reagent

The first step

Flotation Reagent

Can be collectors, frothers, and modifiers

Collectors
- surface-active agents that are added to the flotation pulp, where they adsorb selectively on the surface of the particles and render them hydrophobic

Non-ionizing collectors -practically insoluble in water and cause the particles to become hydrophobic by covering them with a thin film

Ionizing collectors -dissociate into ions in water are made up of complex heteropolar molecules in that the molecule contains both a nonpolar hydrocarbon group with pronounced hydrophobic properties and a polar group with hydrophilic properties Anionic collectors Cationic collectors

Collectors

Dosage requirements depend on the mechanisms by which they interact with the particle surface just to form monomolecular layer

RULE:
High dosages are required for non-ionizing collectors and physisorbing ionizing collectors (in the order of 0.1 to 1 g of reagent per kg of solids) Low dosages for chemisorbing ionizing collectors (0.01 to 0.1 g of reagent per kg of solid)

Collectors

Dosage requirements depend on the mechanisms by which they interact with the particle surface just to form monomolecular layer

NOTE:
Addition of excess quantities of a collector is not desirable because it results in reducing the selectivity and increasing the cost

Frothers
-surface-active agents added to the flotation pulp primarily to stabilize the air bubbles for effective particlebubble attachment, carryover of particle-laden bubbles to the froth, and removal of the froth -similar to ionizing collectors except that they concentrate primarily at the air-liquid interface

Frothers
-i.e. pine oil, cresylic acid, polypropylene glycol, shortchain alcohols and 5- to 8-carbon aliphatic alcohols Dosage requirements are usually 0.01 to 0.1 g per kg of solids

Modifiers
Activators- used to make a mineral surface amenable to collector coating pH regulators- used to control or adjust pH, a very critical factor in many flotation separations

Modifiers
Depressants- assists in selectivity (sharpness of separation) or stop unwanted minerals from floating Dispersants and flocculants- control slimes that sometimes interfere with the selectivity and increase reagent consumption

Modifiers

Dosage requirement: Vary widely, ranging from as little as 0.01 to 0.1 g/kg to as high as 1 to 2 g/kg of solids, depending upon the reagent and the metallurgical problem

Important phenomena that occur;

Solubility and dissociation of reagents in water

Change of pH of the suspension

Change of air-water surface tension

Physical and chemical adsorption of the dissolved species on the solid surfaces due to hydrogen bond formation

Important phenomena that occur;

Electrostatic interactions Hydrophobic bonding Chemical bond formation Fixation of reagent species in the solid lattice

Involves relative interaction of three phases: solid, water and air Objective: To contact solid particles suspended in water with air bubbles and cause a stable bubble-particle attachment

Recall: Flotation depends upon the relative adsorption or wetting of the solid surfaces by the fluid
This is controlled by surface or interfacial energy

Generally,
The sum of the components of the interfacial tensions equals to zero.

Gas SG Solid SL

Liquid

Figure 96. Diagram of surface tensions involved in thee-phase contact.

Gas SG Solid

Liquid

SL

SG = SL + LG (cos )
where = interfacial tension of the solid-gas (SG), solid-liquid (SL) and liquid-gas (LG),respectively = contact angle

When a solid particle attaches itself to a bubble, there is a loss in surface energy E per unit area of surface , equal to the loss in the surface tension E = -(SG SG + SL SL + LG LG) E = SG SG + SL SL + LG LG

 E SG

(SL LG - SG )

Since, SG = SL + LG (cos ) SL - SG = -LG (cos )

E SG

LG(1 - cos )

The second step

Separation

Purpose:
To generate and introduce air bubbles into the process into the process vessel

Rougher

The second step

Separation

Purpose:
Particles attached the air bubbles are in most application removed from the process vessel (flotation cell) as froth

Rougher

Electrolytic or Electroflotation Units - based on the generation of hydrogen and oxygen bubbles in a dilute aqueous solution - passes direct current between two electrodes

Illustration

Electrolytic or Electroflotation Units

Choice of Electrode Materials

Illustration

- aluminum - platinized titanium - titanium coated with lead dioxide - stainless steel

Advantage
- Bubble size tends to be the smallest (10 50 micrometer
Electrolytic or Electroflotation Units

-Very little turbulence - attractive for the separation of small particles and fragile flocs -attractive for small installations in the flowrate range of 10 20 cu.m/h

Disadvantage
Electrolytic or Electroflotation Units

- fouling of electrodes
- not suitable for potable water treatment due to heavy metal contamination

Application
Electrolytic or Electroflotation Units

- effluent treatment and sludge thickening

Dissolved-air Flotation Unit

Dissolved-air Flotation Unit No addition of frother-type chemical reagents Particle bubble contact - achieved by direct nucleation and growth of air bubbles on the particles Bubble size- range from 20 100 micrometers

Saturation of processed stream with air and generation of air bubbles by releasing pressure Used to treat process streams with low solid concentration (0.01- 2% by vol)

Dissolved-air Flotation Unit

Applications
- for sewage and water treatment of potable water - treatment of slaughterhouse, poultry processing, seafood processing, soap, and food processing wastes

Two Main Types of Dissolved-air Flotation Unit

1. Vacuum 2. Pressure

flotation

flotation

Vacuum Flotation Unit

Saturation of process stream with air at atmospheric pressure and introduction to the flotation tank on which vacuum is applied

Can be run only as a batch process

Uses sophisticated equipment to produce and maintain vacuum

Consists of pressurizing and aerating the process stream and introducing it into the flotation vessel that is maintained at atmospheric pressure Can be operated on a continuous basis

Reduction of pressureresults in formation of fine air bubbles Pressurization can be carried out through fullflow or split-flow pressure flotation.

Pressure flotation unit

Pressure flotation unit

Dispersed-air Flotation Unit

Generation of air bubbles by: a. pneumatic b. mechanical Relatively large air bubbles (at least 1 mm in size) Frothers are added to control the size and stability of air bubbles

Flotation Cell - the equipment in which the material is actually separated or floated from the residual tailings

- consists of a vessel provided with a feed at one end, an overflow for froth removal, and a discharge for tailing at the opposite end

Pneumatic Cells - depend upon compressed air for agitation - relatively mild agitation - produce a clean froth relatively free from gangue

Mechanical

Cell

- more violent agitation, more thorough flotation and tailings more nearly free from material desired in the concentrate - greater capacity for the same volume

Pneumatic Cells - 50% longer contact time and full conditioning of the pulp before flotation
-

Mechanical

Cell

- incorporate a mechanical agitator that draws in air and beats it into the pulp - mechanical agitation and aeration by means of a rotation impeller on an upright shaft

flotation columns air-bubble generation is accomplished by a gassparging system

It is desired to recover lead from an ore containing 10 percent lead sulfide (PbS) and the balance assumed to be silica, 500 tons of ore being treated per 24-hr day.
It is assumed that the concentrate from a single cell is of acceptable purity but the tailings are to be retreated in scavenger cells with return of scavenger concentrate to the rougher.

Laboratory findings indicate that if water-to-solids ratio L/S = 2 and the contact time is 8 min in the rougher and L/s = 4 for 15 min in scavenger, with mechanically agitated machines of the Denver type, the following compositions will be found for the various products.
The density of PbS and SiO2 are 7.5 and 2.65 g/cc, respectively
PbS Feed, a Concentration, b Rougher tailings, c
Scavenger concentrate, d

SiO2 90 % 20 98 89 99.5

10 % 80 2 11 0.5

Final tailings

Determine:
a. Density for all solids

b. Mass of products
c. Volume of tanks d. Number of cells and power requirement using Denver No. 24 which have 50 cu. ft of volume

Determine:
E. Volume of delivered air and power requirement of air compressor when Air-Lift Machine by the Southwestern Engineering Co. is used (Assume 75 cfm air/ft in Rougher, 60 cfm air/ft in scavenger, and 25 percent longer contact time at 2 psi).

Air delivered, cfm 2 psi 500 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 6 12 24 34 46 58 70 83

Approximate Horsepower at Pressures of 3 psi 9.5 18.5 38 57 76 91 120 135 4 psi 13.5 26 54 76 105 125 168 190 5 psi 17.5 33 70 96 135 160 220 245

8000

96

165

225

310

Horsepower Consumed per Cell Size, cubic ft Denver 10 12 18 24 40 50 70 100 9 1 1.2 1.4 2.2 3.2 4.2 3.5-4.0 5 6 8 1.8-2.0 Fagergren