Elucidation of the co-adsorption characteristics of multiple functional groups will help to screen suitable reagents to improve the floatability and comprehensive utilization of valuable minerals. Herein, salicylhydroxamic acid (SHA), an anionic collector with two functional groups, mixed with a cationic collector dodecylamine (DDA) in ilmenite-titanaugite flotation system was in-depth studied mainly

In this paper, tungsten was extracted from wolframite using sulfuric-phosphoric acid mixtures. During leaching, wolframite was decomposed under acidic conditions, and phosphotungsten heteropoly acid was formed by the complexation of tungsten and phosphorus. The XRD results showed that after wolframite leaching, the residue contained unleached wolframite, quartz, small amounts of calcium sulfate (anhydrite)

Sodium metabisulfite (MBS) has been widely applied to depress pyrite in copper-molybdenum flotation plants in particular when seawater is used as the main water resource. However, whether MBS depresses molybdenite flotation is unknown. In this study, the flotation of molybdenite at 106 and 53 µm was carried out in the absence and presence of MBS in DI water and seawater to determine the depression

A steady state electrowinning model was developed from first principles to predict copper yield, current efficiency and specific energy consumption. The electrochemical reactions incorporated were copper reduction, water oxidation and the cyclic reduction and oxidation of iron as impurity. This paper details a parameter fitting approach for this model which involves calibration of the model to bench-scale

In addition to investment costs, ongoing operating costs represent a major economic aspect of a process plant. From an entrepreneurial point of view, these should be as low as possible in order to generate maximum profit. In case of a filtration plant, costs also arise for personnel, energy, process media, and wear materials. While the former are sometimes difficult to influence, the latter item has

The surface of pyrite exposed to the thermophilic archaeon Acidianus brierleyi was investigated to elucidate the impact of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and/or cells on mineral surface hydrophobicity. The interaction of cells with the surface of pyrite and the physicochemical properties of the mineral surface were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray

Copper ions are often added in the flotation of gold-bearing pyrite to activate pyrite so that high gold and pyrite recoveries can be achieved. However, the residual copper ions are problematic in subsequent cyanidation by consuming cyanide. There is a great need to replace copper ions by lead ions which are beneficial to cyanidation. This study compared lead and copper activation on pyrite with different

A small non-toxic compound dithiothreitol (DTT) was introduced as an environmental-friendly chalcopyrite depressant in Cu-Mo flotation separation. The separation performances were studied via flotation tests. The adsorption mechanism was explored by contact angle, Zeta potential and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements. The flotation results manifested that DTT exhibited strong depression

As a green organic acid with biodegradable and low-cost characters, polyepoxysuccinic acid (PESA) was utilized as a depressant to achieve the flotation separation of smithsonite from calcite in this study. Microflotation tests showed that both smithsonite and calcite had good floatability when using sodium oleate (NaOl) as the collector, while calcite was selectively depressed when using PESA as the

Recent efforts have shown that acid mine drainage precipitates (AMDp) may be a promising source of rare earth elements and critical materials (REE/CM). To better understand this resource, several particle characterization studies were conducted on AMDp samples from three AMD treatment sites in Northern and Central Appalachia. This work included the determination of particle size, size distribution

In this study, the effect of flaxseed gum (FG) on selective flotation separation of fluorite from calcite using sodium oleate (NaOl) as collector was investigated. Micro-flotation tests demonstrated that FG could selectively inhibit the flotation of calcite but barely influence that of fluorite. Zeta potential and adsorption test indicated that large amounts of FG were adsorbed on calcite surface,

The effect of feed chute design on tertiary cone crusher performance at the Sarcheshmeh copper complex was studied by an in-house developed DEM software called KMPCDEM©. To simulate the overall crushing circuit, the multi-geometry procedure by improving the routines of object files importing into the simulation environment was implemented in DEM codes. The calibration of DEM parameters was performed

The mining industry needs a low-cost and reliable breakage characterization test which can rapidly process a large number of samples for geometallurgical modelling. The more samples are tested, the better is the understanding of the ore hardness variability and lower the design or production risks. The proposed solution is a new testing device, herein named Geopyörä, which is a variation of a roll

Simultaneously improving coal flotation performance and the subsequent froth breakdown is challenging. The present work addresses this challenge by developing and evaluating a non-chemical approach based on the stabilization effect of acoustic sound on flotation froth. The effectiveness of this approach for improving coking coal flotation at different frother concentrations (10–25 ppm MIBC), collector

Rare earth elements (REEs) are in increasing demand due to rapidly rising use in consumer technology, the automotive industry and in renewable energy generation systems, amongst other technology sectors. Ion-adsorption type REE ore deposits are currently being exploited in China’s southern provinces and there is increasing interest in identifying potential reserves globally. Here we investigated the

Due to the prevalent weathering, spodumene flotation is often susceptible to feldspar slime. In this study, the effect of feldspar slime on spodumene flotation in the NaOL and NaOL/DDA systems was studied. The micro-flotation tests showed that the negative effect of feldspar slime on spodumene flotation could be reduced by using the mixed NaOL/DDA collector with mole ratio of 9/1. The scanning electron

Batch and continuous jig experiments were compared using plastic mixtures with different light and heavy particle ratios. The purity of bottom layer products of continuous jig was lower than those of batch jig because of light particle entrainment induced by the screw-type extractor. To minimize entrainment, a new discharge system consisting of a vertical restraining wall and a screw-type extractor

A dynamic flotation model incorporating fundamental and phenomenological relationships, information from froth images and steady-state models is described. Model outputs correspond with online measurements commonly available on flotation circuits, and the model parameters are estimated from industrial data. Simulation results are presented, highlighting important non-linearities that need to be taken

In this study, a fungal cellulase enzyme was applied to improve the selective separation of apatite from hematite during the reverse anionic flotation of a high-phosphorus iron ore. Bench-scale flotation tests were conducted on pure hematite and apatite minerals, their artificial mixture, and a high-phosphorus iron ore sample, using oleic acid as a collector. Flotation tests on single minerals showed

This study revealed the underpinning mechanisms in chalcopyrite flotation with high sodium bentonite content when using saline water containing divalent cations, Ca2+ and Mg2+. It was found that at a divalent cation concentration of 0.1 mol/L, the decrease of pulp viscosity significantly enhanced the copper recovery and grade. Entrainment still played a role as the salt concentration increased further

Magnetic matrices are the core components of HGMS systems. In this study, the induced magnetic field distribution characteristics of ellipse magnetic matrices are investigated via numerical simulation. Besides, the effects of magnetic matrices structure parameters and magnetic field distribution characteristics on the cumulative adsorption behavior of magnetic particles are also discussed. First, the

Galena (PbS) is an important and abundant source of lead (Pb) metal. It often coexists with other sulphide minerals such as sphalerite (ZnS). Flotation has been extensively used to separate galena and sphalerite. Herein, a reagent scheme comprising aerofloat collectors and Zn2+ and SO32− depressants is developed for the flotation separation of galena from sphalerite-rich sulphide ore. The flotation

In this work, N-tetradecyl-isopropanolamine (NTIA) is synthesized and used as a new collector on the flotation separation process of scheelite from calcite to further improve the efficiency of the selective flotation. The effects of NTIA on minerals are investigated through microflotation experiments. Flotation experimental results show that NTIA provides good flotation and separation effects on the

The flotation separation of scheelite and barite is difficult because they have the same active sites. The surface transformation of semi-soluble minerals is inevitable in the flotation of salt minerals, but an effective flotation separation can be achieved through the dissolution and surface transformation of fluorite. In the current flotation test, fluorite particles and sodium fluoride are efficient

The flotation performances of magnesite and quartz were investigated in this work using N-hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (HTAC) as a collector. Micro-flotation tests were performed in a pilot study, and the results demonstrated that HTAC had high selective collection ability to quartz. Further, batch flotation results showed that HTAC could effectively remove quartz from magnesium-bearing carbonate

To achieve the flotation separation of chalcopyrite from galena, a novel organic fenugreek gum (FG) with high water solubility was introduced as a galena depressant in this work. The effect of FG on the flotation separation of chalcopyrite from galena was investigated through micro-flotation tests, and the underlying mechanisms were further studied and discussed. Flotation results revealed that FG

Flotation performance and interaction mechanism of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) for ilmenite and titanaugite with sodium oleate (NaOL) collector were investigated. Microflotation results showed that the addition of CMC enhanced the flotation selectivity of ilmenite and expanded the floatability difference of ilmenite and titanaugite from 3.60% to 50.04% at pH 6.0. As it was revealed by zeta potential

Microwave-assisted reduction roasting of a goethite-rich, reject iron ore waste stream (−2 mm) was used to produce a high-grade concentrate. Reduction roast experiments were conducted at 370 °C, 450 °C, 600 °C and 1000 °C under gas atmospheres of 30:70 and 40:60 CO/CO2, with a soak time of 20 min. Goethite was converted to hematite above 370 °C under both gas mixtures while at the higher roasting temperatures

This paper introduces a methodology to determine the gravity-recoverable platinum group minerals (GRPGMs) of a stream, and behaviour of platinum group minerals (PGMs) in a ball mill-cyclone circuit. The GRPGM is determined by a modification of the method developed for gravity-recoverable gold (GRG). Mineral behaviour in the circuit employs element and GRPGM cyclone partition curves and cumulative element

A method of reducing concentrated tailings viscosity and yield stress for ease of pumping and them improved the safety of tailings storage in dam and a method of mining iron ore from tailings using additives were discussed. A series of NaOH-phosphate-based composite additives were found to reduce the viscosity and yield stress of concentrated tailings. The extent of reduction in yield stress can be

The Bond work index (BWI) is a well-known method used when selecting comminution equipment, to evaluate the grinding efficiency and to calculate the required grinding power. Although considered an industry standard, Bond did not fully define that procedure, and therefore significant discrepancies in test results can sometimes be obtained due to some undefined steps in the method. One of these cases

In our previous study, a NaClO oxidized wheat starch (Ox 5/120) showed promising selectivity between chalcopyrite and graphite flotation compared to the native counterpart. Building from that, this paper presents a systematic investigation conducted on a series of NaClO oxidized starches in a quest to minimize chalcopyrite depression during flotation. Active chlorine of different concentrations was

Water quality affects the flotation recovery of minerals and their separation. Mining-process waters become saturated with soluble salts after contact with minerals (oxidation and dissolution) during crushing, classification and flotation. Inorganic species, such as metal ions but also carbonate and sulphate ions, may have a positive or negative effect on mineral flotation. As sulphate ions are always

In this work, 2-decanoylamino-pentanedioic acid (DPA), a novel dendritic surfactant, was designed, synthesized, and exploited as a collector for the flotation of ilmenite. The experimental froth flotation results illustrated that DPA had a superior collecting activity, adsorbed better on the ilmenite surface than oleic acid, and could effectively recover ilmenite from titanomagnetite at a pH of approximately

Sphalerite tailings are the most important type of waste in the mining district of Sardinia. This situation justifies the interest in the applicability of flotation as a remediation technique by which declassify the tailings (reducing the concentration of heavy metals). The flotation of mine tailings represents a novelty if aimed at environmental remediation. Instead, it is a widespread industrial

Physical properties such as particle morphology (shape and roughness) play an important role in the flotation process to understand the bubble-particle and particle–particle interactions. In this study, a new approach was suggested for the first time to correlate the aggregation and flotation of sphalerite mineral along with the contribution of morphological variations. Towards this aim, fine particles

To achieve the clean extraction of vanadium from iron vanadate spinel minerals, vanadium has been successfully leached as [V(C2O4)3]3− complex by using oxalic acid as a leaching agent in our previous study. However, the precipitation of vanadium from the V-bearing oxalic acid leaching solution has never been reported. Therefore, an environment-friendly hydrothermal precipitation method was applied

Copper sulphide rich leach residue from nickel refining is a marketable product and may be treated by smelting. In looking for another refining technology for its valorisation, the raw material was characterised and suitability of medium-temperature sulphate-based pressure leaching was tested for this purpose. The raw material contained 58% copper carried in covellite and copper oxides. Using favourable