CONCENTRATEDEECTROLYTESIN MINERALPROCESSINGCIRTUITSJanuszS.LaskowskiNB Keevil Institute of Mining EngineeringUniversity of British ColumbiaNORMANB.KEEVILINSTITUTE OFMINING ENGINEERINGwww.mining.ubc.ca
Janusz S. Laskowski NB Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering University of British Columbia CONCENTRATED EECTROLYTES IN MINERAL PROCESSING CIRTUITS
The results discussed in this presentation are takenfrom many publications as acknowledged in eachcase.The data on the use of seawater in flotation ofCu-Mo sulfide ores resulted from the AMIRA ProjectFlotacion de Minerales de Cobrein Aguas Salinascarried out at the University of Concepcion, ChileThese results have been discussed in several jointpublications with Professor Sergio Castro,Department of Metallurgical Engineering,UniversityofConcepcion,Chile.NORMAN B.KEEVILINSTITUTE OF MINING ENGINEERINGwww.mining.ubc.ca
The results discussed in this presentation are taken from many publications as acknowledged in each case. The data on the use of seawater in flotation of Cu-Mo sulfide ores resulted from the AMIRA Project “Flotación de Minerales de Cobre in Aguas Salinas” carried out at the University of Concepcion, Chile. These results have been discussed in several joint publications with Professor Sergio Castro, Department of Metallurgical Engineering, University of Concepción, Chile
COMMINUTIONCONCENTRATIONWATERCLARIFICATIONPRODUCTDEWATERINGNORMAN B.KEEVILINSTITUTE OF MINING ENGINEERINGwww.mining.ubc.ca
For the sake of discussion the systems in which flotation iscarried out in concentrated electrolytes will be categorized intothreegroups:(i)The group exemplified by salt flotation of inherentlyhydrophobic solids (example:flotationof bituminous coalinNaCl solution);(ii)The group in which flotationis depressed as collectorprecipitates with some ions which are constituents of theelectrolyte system (example:theuse offattyacids inflotationinhardwater/seawater);(ii) Cu-Mo sulfideore flotationin seawater;in this case somevaluable ore constituents are depressed by precipitatingproducts of hydrolysing cations.NORMAN B.KEEVILINSTITUTE OF MINING ENGINEERINGwww.mining.ubc.ca
For the sake of discussion the systems in which flotation is carried out in concentrated electrolytes will be categorized into three groups: (i) The group exemplified by salt flotation of inherently hydrophobic solids (example: flotation of bituminous coal in NaCl solution); (ii) The group in which flotation is depressed as collector precipitates with some ions which are constituents of the electrolyte system (example: the use of fatty acids in flotation in hard water/seawater); (iii) Cu-Mo sulfide ore flotation in seawater; in this case some valuable ore constituents are depressed by precipitating products of hydrolysing cations
Flotationofinherentlyhydrophobicmineralsinconcentrated solutionsofelectrolytes does not reguire the use ofcollectors.In Klassen's publications thisisreferred to as"salt flotation."(KlassenandMokrousow,An IntroductiontotheTheoryofFlotation,Butterworths,London,1963).Sinceinorganicionscannot change wettability of solidsurfaces only inherently hydrophobicsolids can float under such conditions.NORMANB.KEEVILINSTITUTE OF MINING ENGINEERINGwww.mining.ubc.ca
Flotation of inherently hydrophobic minerals in concentrated solutions of electrolytes does not require the use of collectors. In Klassen’s publications this is referred to as “salt flotation.” (Klassen and Mokrousow, An Introduction to the Theory of Flotation, Butterworths, London, 1963). Since inorganic ions cannot change wettability of solid surfaces only inherently hydrophobic solids can float under such conditions