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Flotation of dolomite from apatite was investigated, using dodecylamine hydrochloride or sodium oleate as the collector, in the absence and presence of inorganic modifiers such as sodium chloride. Separation of dolomite from apatite was anticipated from the single mineral experiments under various pH and collector concentration conditions. Flotation selectivity in the mixtures, however, was found to be limited. Attempts to control the flotation response of these minerals by addition of salts such as NaCI and KCI indicated that selectivity is possible. The presence of sodium chloride was determined to depress apatite flotation using sodium oleate leaving dolomite flotation unaffected (Moudgil and Ince, 1989). In this paper, conditions for optimum separation and the effect of major parameters on the desired selectivity are discussed.

Jan 1, 1990

By D. Ince

Flotation of dolomite from apatite was investigated, using dodecylamine hydrochloride or sodium oleate as the collector, with and without inorganic modifiers such as sodium chloride. Separation of dolomite from apatite was anticipated from the single mineral experiments under various pH and collector concentration conditions. Flotation selectivity in the mixtures, however, was found to be limited. Attempts to control the flotation response of these minerals by addition of salts such as NaCl and KCI indicated that selectivity is possible. The presence of sodium chloride was determined to depress apatite flotation using sodium oleate, leaving dolomite flotation unaffected (Moudgil and Ince, 1989). In this paper, conditions for optimum separation and the effect of major parameters on the desired selectivity are discussed.

Jan 1, 1992

By Bryan C. Smith, Duane R. Skidmore

Volumetric mass transfer coefficients and gas holdups were measured in a concentric tube airlift reactor designed for the microbial desulfurization of coal. The slurries were comprised of an acidified basal salts solution containing thirteen different weight percents of coal (74 µm Ohio #1) at three temperatures. An enhancement in the mass transfer coefficient, KLa, with respect to that measured in pure solution was found at weight percents of 5 (volume fraction solids, ES = 0.035) or less, the greatest enhancement being as great as 37% at approximately 2 weight percent (ES = J 0.014). At higher solids fractions, the mass transfer coefficient decreased with further solids additions, decreasing by as much as 91% at 40 weight percent coal (ES = 0.315). KLa increased with temperature at all solids concentrations, the greatest increase being 392% at 72°C vs that measured at 30°C. Gas holdup, EG decreased with all increases in solids loading by as much as 65% and increased by as much as 67% with temperature. KLa and EG were correlated with operating conditions separately, and the separate correlations combined to yield overall correlations for the mass transfer coefficient and for the gas holdup. The correlations are suitable for inclusion in system models devised earlier for microbial coal desulfurization processes, and may be used for design, operation and cost estimation for such systems.

Jan 1, 1989

By N. N. Clark, C. M. Atkinson

Pachuca tanks are used widely in the mineral industry for leaching and mixing operations. An analysis has been presented previously to predict circulation of homogenous slurry in Pachuca tanks with full height draft tubes. However, settling of solids causes deviation from the homogenous case. Circulation of settling slurry in a Pachuca tank is modeled and shown to be a function of settling velocity, solids fraction, solid and liquid density, air flew rate, and tank dimensions. The pressure balance is shown to be very sensitive to these parameters, especially at low slurry velocities. Equations for predicting the air requirements in Pachuca tanks containing settling solids are presented.

Jan 1, 1988

By B. Kahraman

About 70% of the world?s total boron reserves are located in Turkey. Boron minerals are typically concentrated by attrition scrubbing followed by screening and classification to remove clay minerals and other impurities. These wet concentration methods, however, result in a considerable amount of accumulated tailings in large tailings dams. The tailings are approximately 28% solids and contain 14% B2O3. Problems caused by these tailings can be minimized by employing dry beneficiation techniques involving heat treatment. This method has been successfully tested on laboratory and pilot scales. During heat treatment, borax undergoes expansion in volume. The amount of expansion is dependent on the particle size, temperature and duration of heat treatment. Because the optimum temperature and the duration of the heat treatment are not well defined, the boron ore acts as a calcined clay mineral and is discarded along with the gangue. It is important to predict such parameters using mathematical formulations. Thus, a mathematical model is used to predict the required temperature and duration period prior to heat treatment. In the experimental study presented here, a series of systematic thermal tests was carried out in a muffle furnace. Two variables, temperature and time, were studied in a response surface design. A quadratic regression model was chosen and regression coefficients were calculated. Using a regression equation, the volume expansion of the particles in various circumstances can be predicted. The mathematical test results are then correlated with the experimental results to relate the optimum expansion of borax with heating time and temperature and with borax grades and recoveries.

Jan 1, 2008

By S. Sener

In this investigation, the changes in the grindability of both ulexite and colemanite related with the different structural modifications created by the heat treatment were examined with respect to work index (Wi). The effects of the heat treatment temperature and time on grindability index were also investigated. It was observed that, heat treatment significantly affected on the grindability of ulexite. The work index of original ulexite was found 7.11 kWh/shton and decreased to 3.5 kWh/shton level within 200-480°C for 60 minutes. On the other hand, the work index of original colemanite was found as 6.48 kWh/shton and no appreciable change was observed when heated up to 320°C. Thermally assisted comminution can be used to improve the grindability characteristics of ulexite. Besides, the different behaviour of ulexite and colemanite under heat treatment can be used for their separation. The artificial mixture of ulexite and colemanite could be separated with over 90% recovery by utilizing their different grindability characteristics by thermal treatment, semi-autogeneous grinding and screening.

Jan 1, 1999

By Xiaodong Ma, Marek Pawlik

Introduction Guar gum is a natural nonionic polysaccharide. Guaran, the functional polysaccharide in guar gum is a chain of (1?4)-linked ß-D-mannopyranose units with a-D-galactopyranose units connected to the mannose backbone through (1?6) glycosidic linkages. The poly-mannose chain is randomly substituted with galactose units at a mannose-to-galactose ratio of 1.8-1.0 [1]. Cheng et al. reported that the molecular weight of natural guar gum is 1.935 • 106 [2]. Robinson et al. found that the molecular weights of five grades of commercial guar gums ranged from 4.4 • 105 to 16.5 • 105 [3]. Guar gum is frequently used as a depressant of naturally hydrophobic gangue minerals (e.g. talc) in the flotation of PGM-bearing ores, and according to Harris et al. a wide variety of modified guar gums are available for this application [4]. The Canadian potash industry utilizes natural guar gum as a blinder of water-insoluble slimes in the flotation of potash (sylvinite) ores, a process that is carried out in a saturated KCl/NaCl brine. The role of the polysaccharide is to prevent a primary amine collector from adsorbing onto these unwanted fine minerals. Hydrophobic interactions between basal cleavage planes and the polymer appear to be involved in guar gum adsorption on talc [5,6]. Liu and Laskowski stressed the importance of metal impurities on mineral surfaces that can serve as the active sites for polysaccharide adsorption [7]. This postulate was consistent with the later observation that, in addition to hydrogen bonding, the adsorption of guar gum onto talc was strongly dependent on the surface concentration of magnesium sites [8,9]. In this case the adsorption process was visualized as metal-polysaccharide complexation facilitated by the cis-configuration of the hydroxyl groups of mannose monomers. Hydrogen bonding and chemical interactions with metal sites were also suggested by Rath and Subramanian in their studies on guar gum adsorption on biotite mica [10]. In a recent study, Wang et al. demonstrated that hydrogen bonding is the main driving force behind guar gum adsorption onto talc [11]. Their data also show that the adsorption density of guar gum on alumina is about five times lower than the adsorption density on talc. Pawlik and Laskowski reported that the amount of guar gum adsorbed on illite was independent of ionic strength over a wide range of salt concentrations [12]. The adsorption density of the polysaccharide on illite did not measurably change with ionic strength from that of distilled water to about 50%-saturated KCl/NaCl potash brine (~3N KCl/NaCl). However, guar gum adsorption on dolomite dramatically decreased over the same range of ionic strengths, and no reliable explanation of that phenomenon was proposed [12]. The water structure-breaking or structure-making capabilities of background ions are usually ignored when discussing adsorption mechanisms of polymers. The concept of “structure breakers” and “structure makers” was first introduced by Gurney, and Frank and Wen who postulated that each ion is surrounded by three distinct regions of water structure [13,14]. In the first layer, water molecules are tightly bound to the ion. The second region extends farther away from the ion and is referred to as the region of structure breaking. Only at larger distances, where the ionic field is weak, water molecules form the “normal” ice-like structure. It is also now recognized that the first layer can be further divided into the primary and secondary hydration shells. Small, strongly hydrated ions reinforce the “normal” structure of water and the region of structure breaking disappears. In contrast, large less-hydrated ions disturb the ice-like structure and generate an extensive region of structure breaking. Experimentally, these two effects can readily be distinguished through viscosity measurements. Increasing concentrations of structure-breaking ions result in a decrease of the viscosity of aqueous solutions. On the other hand, increasing amounts of structure-makers significantly reduce the viscosity of water. Alkali metal cations form a sequence known as the Hofmeister series. The Hofmeister series - Cs+, K+, Na+, Li+ - orders the cations from the least hydrated to the most hydrated. Based on literature viscosity data for aqueous

Jan 1, 2005

By A. Khan

The effect of sulfur dioxide on collectorless and collector induced flotation of chalcopyrite was studied by cyclic voltammetry on a rotating disc electrode. Contact angle measurements were made to determine the effect of sulfur dioxide concentration and electrochemical treatment. The benefits of sulfur dioxide in enhancing the selectivity of separating chalcopyrite from complex sulfide ores are discussed.

Jan 1, 1996

By J. Stachurski, N. A. Abdel-Khalek

Flotation tests were carried out on six coal samples of different rank as well as their oxidized samples. A mixture of diesel oil and alcohols was used in these tests. Surface oxidation caused a distinct decrease during flotation recovery with some improvement in the grade. The reduction in the recovery increased with increasing concentration of the oxidizing agent. The floatability of low rank coals was affected by oxidation to a higher degree than the floatability of medium and high rank coals. The recovery-size curves of oxidized samples were similar in shape to the recovery-size curves of non-oxidized coals.

Jan 1, 1991

By Roe-Hoan Yoon, lsmail Yildirim, Jinhong Zhang

Inorganic fillers and pigments such as kaolin, diatomaceous earth silica, and talc were treated with various surfactants, and the changes in their surface properties monitored. When they were treated with a cationic surfactant, they became hydrophobic and the overall surface free energies were decreased substantially. The decrease in surface free energy was mostly due to the decrease in the acid-base component (ysab) of the surface free energy, indicating that hydrophobizing an inorganic pigment entails a reduction in ysab. It was found that the surface characterization technique employed in the present work was useful for studying the effects of using various other surfactants for surface treatment.

Jan 1, 2003

By H. Polat, Q. Hu, S. Chander

The collection efficiency of dust particles was determined in a laboratory dust chamber equipped with a water spray. Measurements were made in the presence of selected nonionic, cationic and anionic surfactants. For the nonionic and the anionic reagents, efficiency was maximum in a narrow range of concentration. The surfactant concentration corresponding to high collection efficiency was usually much below the commonly used concentration of l%, however. In comparison, much higher collection efficiency was observed for a cationic surfactant at extremely low concentrations. For delineating the mechanism of capture of dust particles, surface tension and contact angle results were used to obtain a correlation between the work of adhesion and the efficiency of collection. Such a correlation was reasonable for the nonionic surfactants but not for charged surfactants. In the latter case, electrostatic interactions between charged droplets and particles were more important, especially for the cationic reagent.

Jan 1, 1992

By S. D. F. Rocha

The influence of surfactants on the crystallization of calcium sulfate was investigated in both hatch and continuous systems. The investigation was per formed at the following conditions. 343 °K, 28% P205 and with a sulfate level of 2.0%. At concentrations of 5 and 200 µgig, respectively, dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (DBSH) and sodium diisooctil sulosuccinate (SSNa) promoted both an increase in the size and a reduction in the length/width (L/W) ratio of the calcium sulfate hydrates produced in the hatch and continuous crystallizers. Unique effects were observed in the batch system at higher DBSH concentrations. At 10 µg/g, the precipitation of hemihydrate crystals with a distinct morphology and texture occurred under conditions where dihydrate precipitation was expected. Above 50 µg/g, the precipitation of calcium sulfate hydrates was completely inhibited.

Jan 1, 1996

By Devin Burns, Saima Ghazal, Michael Owusu-Tweneboah, Kwame Awuah-Offei

Trust in AI systems and the nature and amount of information about the system can influence decision-making. It is, therefore, crucial to understand how AI-powered monitoring systems (e.g., gas monitoring systems) influence miners’ trust and decision-making in emergency evacuation. This work focused on measuring the differences between how participants respond to a simulated underground mine emergency evacuation situation when warnings are represented as coming from a human or AI-based monitoring system. We also manipulated the amount of information participants received about the system, yielding a 2×2 between-participants survey design. The participants received an alert message about rising gas levels in a mine and provided a response on how they would react and reported their perceived safety. We also asked questions to assess their trust in, preference for AI over human-based gas monitoring systems, and whether they are willing to delegate the duties of underground gas monitoring to AI systems. The experiment results show the amount of information had a significant influence on miners’ trust and decision-making. The safety perception of participants based on age, number of children and ethnicity was significantly different from one category to another. This work provides valuable insights as the mining industry deploys AI systems to aid mine safety.

Feb 1, 2025

By I. Nishkov, L. Alexandrova

The kinetics of froth flotation and the three-phase contact (TPC) parameters are studied at temperatures varying from 20°C to 40°C. The material floated consists of glass spheres and a quartz particles with various diameters. Dodecylamine hydrocloride (DDAHCI) is used as a collector. The equilibrium three-phase contact angle is measured with a microscope technique using the modified Mingins-Scheludko method. Using a Wilhelmy method, the temperature effect on the surface tension of the DDAHCI solution is determined. The formation of the thin film on a polished plate of vitreous silica and the expansion of TPC is monitored by means of a metallographic microscope and recorded on a attached camera at different temperatures. The experimental data show an intensification of the flotation kinetics at 30 and 40°C in the case of small particles. Such an intensification is not observed with the larger particles. The cause for intensification of the flotation kinetics is sought for in the dependence of the TPC rate of expansion and induction time on temperature.

Jan 1, 1995

By O. Ofor

Finely-ground hematitic ore, too high in silica (quartz) to be commercially viable, was treated by emulsion flotation. A three-component emulsion mixture was used at temperatures ranging from ambient (22° C) to 30° C, 40° C, 49 °C, 59° C and 68° C. The optimal emulsion dosage and composition at ambient temperature were used to determine that dosage for higher-temperature flotation tests. The crushed ore (100%, -8 mesh) was repeatedly washed with tap water, and the filtrate's ionic content was analyzed. The separation efficiency values (a measure of the selective separation and concentration of hematite from gangue minerals) demonstrated temperature dependence, with marked increases at temperatures above ambient. The optimal separation efficiency occurred within the range from 30° C to 60° C. The improved separation efficiencies at temperatures exceeding ambient are explained by quartz depression. This depression is attributed to: • the precipitation of quartz-activating cations, principally calcium and magnesium, at increasing temperature; and • temperature's effect on the collector's solubility and attachment to the aqueous hematite surface.

Jan 1, 1993

By P. Somasundaran

Electrochemical properties of silicate minerals govern their behavior in processes such as flocculation and enhanced oil recovery that can occur at elevated temperatures. Knowledge of these properties as a function of temperature can be helpful in developing an under- standing of the role of these interfacial properties at non-ambient temperatures. Zeta potential of Sodium Kaolinite and quartz has been determined as a function of pH and temperature in this work. Both systems exhibited markedly different behavior at higher temperatures and also exhibited significant hysteresis. Results are examined in terms of possible dissolution of the minerals and surface reactions at different temperatures.

Jan 1, 1986

By Mostafa Benzaazoua, Bruno Bussière, Mukendi Kongolo

The desulphurization process has been proposed over the last few years for acid mine drainage control at certain mines, which generate low to medium grade sulphidic tailings (-3 to +25 wt% S). The environmental sulphur recovery, which means the sulphur to be floated to produce a non-acid generating final tailings, depends mainly on the intrinsic neutralizing potential of the tailings. However, in some cases the sulphur cleaning is complicated by other parameters which affect the flotation probability of the sulphide particles. In this study, a number of tests were conducted with a Hallimond tube and Denver Cell on both pure mineral and mine tailings. To develop a better understanding of the mechanisms of non-selective sulphide flotation, three types of approach were investigated in this work: (i) pure pyrite at progressive milling degrees, (ii) artificial mix of pyrite and quartz at different calibrated granulometry and (iii) same composition tailings with 26 % wt sulphur at progressive milling degrees. The effect of the granulometry on the sulphide flotation was demonstrated both. The results allow us to define a granulometry model, which can then be considered in the whole desulphurization modeling.

Jan 1, 2000

By J. R. Palmes

Flocculation of coal fines with varying degrees of wettability was studied under well defined hydrodynamic conditions. In this study, three coal samples were tested with three different flocculant types. The results revealed that flocculation depends strongly on both the coal surface properties and the type of flocculant used. A hydrophobic flocculant was found to be effective for hydrophobic and slightly oxidized coal, a semihydrophobic flocculant was found to flocculate, to different extents, all of the samples except the oxidized cool, and polyacrylimide flocculated all of the coals, which is a clear indication of its insensitivity towards coal wettability.

Jan 1, 1994

By A. S. Ibrado

Research investigations on the chemistry of the adsorption of gold cyanide on activated carbon have mostly reduced the role of activated carbon as the provider of the large surface area needed for adsorption. Most do not go beyond suggesting that oxygen functional groups on carbon play a key role in the adsorption process. Our research shows that the nature of the material, specifically its structure, is a crucial factor in the adsorption equation. To delineate the effect of adsorbent properties, gold cyanide was adsorbed on a series of carbonaceous adsorbents, including lignite, coals, anthracites, carbon blacks, graphite and activated carbon, which covers wide variations of composition, surface acid group content, and degree of graphitization. The results show that the adsorption of gold cyanide per unit area of adsorbent is not related to the amount of oxygen groups on the surface or even the total oxygen content of the material. However, they show very strong correlation with the degree of graphitization of the adsorbent, which indicates that the graphitic plates of activated carbon play the most important role. The findings suggest that majority of the adsorption occurs on the plate faces of the graphite crystallites of activated carbon.

Jan 1, 1992

By M. K. Quinn, R. D. Chaffins, A. W. Khair

This paper presents an analysis of the effects of topography on static and dynamic ground movements and severity of damage inflicted on surface structures. A typical site containing varying topographical features (i.e., mountains, hillsides, valleys, and flat bottom land) representing the northern Appalachin region was chosen for the study. Typical subsidence monitoring techniques were employed. Frequent measurements were made as the face advanced.

Jan 1, 1987