Hydrophobic aggregation of galena fine particles / Agregação hidrofóbica de partículas finas de galena

• Autor(a) principal: Nogueira, Francielle Câmara
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Outros Autores: Rodrigues, Otávia Martins Silva, Nogueira, Stephânia da Consolação Silva, Pereira, Carlos Alberto
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Revista Veras
• Texto Completo: https://ojs.brazilianjournals.com.br/ojs/index.php/BRJD/article/view/14259
• topic: hydrophobic aggregation; shear flocculation; galena

The evolution of mining activities has driven the implementation of new concepts for processing low-grade ores with liberation of small-size particles. Several alternative techniques have been developed, among which hydrophobic aggregation should be emphasized. In this process, selective hydrophobization is induced by collectors that adsorb onto the desired minerals, forming aggregates that capable of adhering to air bubbles and can be recovered via flotation. Despite its great potential, this process still has limited application in the mineral industry because of its great complexity. This research aimed to study the applicability of hydrophobic aggregation to assist the flotation of sulfide ores of zinc and lead with particle sizes below 16 ?m. Fundamental studies were performed with samples of galena and sphalerite minerals using amyl xanthate and propyl xanthate as collectors. For each reagent, the influence of pH and the stirring speed was analyzed. The experimental results demonstrated that hydrophobic aggregation was closely correlated with particle hydrophobicity. The aggregation did not decrease with increasing the particle surface charges due to collector adsorption, which is considered by extended DLVO theory. Analysis of the results suggested that the hydrophobic aggregation is a promising technique for recovering fine particles of zinc and lead sulfide.