Technological Prospection of Surfactants Used in Mineral Concentration Processes

• Autor(a) principal: Ribeiro, Wagner Alves
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Silva, Denilson da Costa, Rabelo, Adriano Alves
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Cadernos de Prospecção (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.ufba.br/index.php/nit/article/view/52869
• topic: Flotação; Surfactantes Sintéticos; Surfactantes Biológicos.; Flotation; Synthetic Surfactants; Biological Surfactants.

Mineral processing is considered the heart of the mineral sector; however, mineral processing processes are expensive and, when not well dimensioned, interfere in the production and economic-financial planning of companies. The main reagents used in this flotation process are surfactants, amphipathic molecules that are very efficient in mineral production. The objective of this research was to study the technological prospection of surfactants used in mineral concentration processes. For this purpose, patent document searches were carried out with combinations of isolated strategies and a general combination provided by the Questel base - Orbit Intelligence, followed by an analysis of the technology maturity, involving temporal, geographic aspect, and main depositors. The panoramic survey of the profile of patent applicants in Brazil and in the world of technologies related to the use of synthetic and biological surfactants in the mineral sector in the period under study allowed tracing a favorable scenario from the point of view of patent systems. The relevance of patents on biodegradable surfactants is highlighted, contributing to the world economy, especially in the mineral area.