Principle of Froth Flotation
Froth Flotation is a popular method for extracting precious minerals from their ores according to variations in their surface characteristics. The basic principle behind froth flotation is that hydrophobic particles attach themselves to air bubbles, enabling the selective recovery of such particles.
Particle Size Reduction: Crushing and grinding decreases the ore’s particle size. This makes them suitably exposed for flotation.
Conditioning: The ore is combined with water and several flotation reagents, such as modifiers, collectors, and frothers, after it has been processed. This makes the minerals become hydrophobic due to the selective adsorption of collectors, which are surface-active compounds.
Air Injection: In this a layer of froth is created on the pulp’s surface by injecting air into the flotation cell. The hydrophobic mineral particles rises up to the surface of flotation cell as a froth by the air bubbles that stick to them. The hydrophilic gangue minerals are released as residue.
Froth Collection: As the residue are released from the bottom of the flotation cell, the froth containing the valuable mineral particles is continuously skimmed from the cell’s surface. To extract the precious mineral concentration from the water and froth components, the froth is subjected to additional processing.
Selective Recovery: The fundamental idea of froth flotation is the selective attachment of air bubbles to hydrophobic mineral particles. The differentiation between particles of complex ore combinations based on characteristics like agitation speed, pH, and reagent dosage allows for the selective recovery of desired minerals.
Froth Flotation Process
Froth Flotation is a very important process in the field of mineral processing which is utilized for the purpose of extraction of minerals from Ore. It is a part of surface chemistry in which we selectively separate the minerals from the unwanted material. This process is used in a variety of industries and is very crucial in each one of them. In this article we will look at this process in great detail.
Table of Content
- What is Froth Flotation ?
- Principle of Froth Flotation
- Mechanism of Froth Flotation:
- Technique of Froth Flotation
- Froth Flotation Equipment
- Conclusion