Investigations on how the froth height is influencing the flotation of ultrafine particles using the newly developed separation apparatus MultiDimFlot

Abstract

Flotation is a separation process that is based on differences in the surface wettability properties of materials. Hydrophobic particles adhere to air bubbles and create particle-bubble aggregates that rise in suspension and form a froth layer, whereas the hydrophilic particles sink and remain in the pulp. The flotation process is widely applied in the separation of fine particles with a particle size range between 10 µm and 200 µm. However, the flotation of ultrafine particles (x < 10 µm) is facing challenges and unwanted ultrafine gangue particles have a high probability of being entrained, which reduces the quality of the product