Surfactants flotation

Dynamic adsorption layers differ from equilibrium layers not only by the existence of an angular dependence but also by the difference in the adsorbed amount averaged over the bubble surface (Sadhal Johnson, 1983). Usually, in foam flotation, the surfactant yield is calculated under the assumption of equilibrium adsorption at the surface of buoyant bubbles. The theory of dynamic adsorption layers lead to substantial changes in the notion of surfactant flotation. Thus, the mechanism of transport at the bubble-solution interface has a substantial effect on the transport process at the surfactant solution-foam boundary. 

Toxicology LD50 (oral, rat) 17 g/kg, (skin, rabbit) 11,220 pl/kg mildly toxic by ing. primary irritant skin and eye irritant TSCA listed Precaution Combustible Hazardous Decomp. Prods. Heated to decomp., emits acrid smoke and irritating fumes Uses Surfactant flotation agent lube additive rubber chemical solvent Manuf./Distrib. Dow http //www.dow.com, Pfaltz Bauer http //www.pfaltzandbauer.com... 

Uses Surfactant, flotation agent, gasoline detergent conosion inhibitor emulsifier for herbicides... 

Uses Flotation deinking agent pulp/paper surfactant flotation collector at low water hardness... 

Uses Mineral processing surfactant flotation collection agent copper sulfide collector aids secondary gold recovery Use Level 5-25 g/ton Uniflot SP-8 [Huntsman]... 

Uses Mineral processing surfactant flotation depressant zinc sulflde depressant ... 

Uses Surfactant flotation agent lube additive rubber chemical solvent Regulatory Canada DSL Manuf./Distrib. Dow Pfaltz Bauer... 

Table XI-1 (from Ref. 166) lists the potential-determining ion and its concentration giving zero charge on the mineral. There is a large family of minerals for which hydrogen (or hydroxide) ion is potential determining—oxides, silicates, phosphates, carbonates, and so on. For these, adsorption of surfactant ions is highly pH-dependent. An example is shown in Fig. XI-14. This type of behavior has important applications in flotation and is discussed further in Section XIII-4.

Prior to about 1920, flotation procedures were rather crude and rested primarily on the observation that copper and lead-zinc ore pulps (crushed ore mixed with water) could be benefacted (improved in mineral content) by treatment with large amounts of fatty and oily materials. The mineral particles collected in the oily layer and thus could be separated from the gangue and the water. Since then, oil flotation has been largely replaced by froth or foam flotation. Here, only minor amounts of oil or surfactant are used and a froth is formed by agitating or bubbling air through the suspension. The oily froth or foam is concentrated in mineral particles and can be skimmed off as shown schematically in Fig. XIII-4. 

The examples in the preceding section, of the flotation of lead and copper ores by xanthates, was one in which chemical forces predominated in the adsorption of the collector. Flotation processes have been applied to a number of other minerals that are either ionic in type, such as potassium chloride, or are insoluble oxides such as quartz and iron oxide, or ink pigments [needed to be removed in waste paper processing [92]]. In the case of quartz, surfactants such as alkyl amines are used, and the situation is complicated by micelle formation (see next section), which can also occur in the adsorbed layer [93, 94]. 

The surface-active agents (surfactants) responsible for wetting, flotation and detergency exhibit rather special and interesting properties characteristic of what are called association colloids or, in the older literature, colloidal electrolytes. These properties play an important role in determining, at least indirectly, the detergency of a given surfactant and are therefore considered here... 

Contact angle is proportional to (ysv - 7sl), therefore addition of a surfactant that adsorbs at the solid-solution interface should decrease ysL d therefore increase the quantity above and make 6 smaller. Yet such addition in flotation systems increases 6. Discuss what is inconect or misleading about the opening statement. 

In other surfactant uses, dodecanol—tetradecanol is employed to prepare porous concrete (39), stearyl alcohol is used to make a polymer concrete (40), and lauryl alcohol is utilized for froth flotation of ores (41). A foamed composition of hexadecanol is used for textile printing (42) and a foamed composition of octadecanol is used for coating polymers (43). On the other hand, foam is controUed by detergent range alcohols in appHcations by lauryl alcohol in steel cleaning (44), by octadecanol in a detergent composition (45), and by eicosanol—docosanol in various systems (46). 

The basic flow sheet for the flotation-concentration of nonsulfide minerals is essentially the same as that for treating sulfides but the family of reagents used is different. The reagents utilized for nonsulfide mineral concentrations by flotation are usually fatty acids or their salts (RCOOH, RCOOM), sulfonates (RSO M), sulfates (RSO M), where M is usually Na or K, and R represents a linear, branched, or cycHc hydrocarbon chain and amines [R2N(R)3]A where R and R are hydrocarbon chains and A is an anion such as Cl or Br . Collectors for most nonsulfides can be selected on the basis of their isoelectric points. Thus at pH > pH p cationic surfactants are suitable collectors whereas at lower pH values anion-type collectors are selected as illustrated in Figure 10 (28). Figure 13 shows an iron ore flotation flow sheet as a representative of high volume oxide flotation practice. 

Water Treatment. Flotation in water treatment is used both for the removal of dissolved ions such as Cu ", Cr ", or (PO or surfactants and suspended soHds as in the case of sludge treatment. The final product in this case is purified water rather than a mineral concentrate. Furthermore, water is treated either for drinking purposes (potable water preparation) or safe disposal to the environment. 

In the removal of contaminating ions such as (PO or Fe " a precipitate such as Ca2(P0 2 Fe(OH)2, after oxidizing ferrous ion to ferric, is formed and the soHd is removed. The addition of surfactants is usually not essential (nor desirable) since most waters contain natural surfactants that would render the soflds sufficiently hydrophobic for flotation to occur. Such surfactants derive from the degradation of organic matter, and humic substances abundantly available in nature (30). 

Ion Flotation and Foam Separation. Ions and dissolved surfactant molecules can be removed from solutions by the agency of foam. In this case ions are sandwiched in foam films. The scientific basis of these processes is weU understood and successes of metal ion recovery from solutions including U, Pt, Au, as weU as different surfactants (detergents) have been reported in the Hterature. 

The greatest amount of surfactant consumption is in packaged soaps and detergents for household and industrial use. The remainder is used in processing textiles and leather, in ore flotation and oil-drilling operations, and in the manufacture of agricultural sprays, cosmetics, elastomers, food, lubricants, paint, pharmaceuticals, and a host of other products. 

Oil field uses are primarily imidazolines for surfactant and corrosion inhibition (see Petroleum). Besides the lubrication market for metal salts, the miscellaneous market is comprised of free acids used ia concrete additives, motor oil lubricants, and asphalt-paving applications (47) (see Asphalt Lubrication AND lubricants). Naphthenic acid has also been studied ia ore flotation for recovery of rare-earth metals (48) (see Flotation Lanthanides). 

Flotation. Flotation (qv) is used alone or in combination with washing and cleaning to deink office paper and mixtures of old newsprint and old magazines (26). An effective flotation process must fulfill four functions. (/) The process must efficiently entrain air. Air bubble diameter is about 1000 p.m. Typically air bubbles occupy 25—60% of the flotation cell volume. Increa sing the airRquid ratio in the flotation cell is said to improve ink removal efficiency (27). (2) Ink must attach to air bubbles. This is primarily a function of surfactant chemistry. Air bubbles must have sufficient residence time in the cell for ink attachment to occur. (3) There must be minimal trapping of cellulose fibers in the froth layer. This depends on both cell design and surfactant chemistry. (4) The froth layer must be separated from the pulp slurry before too many air bubbles coUapse and return ink particles to the pulp slurry. 

Water from screens, cleaners, washers, thickeners, and flotation cells contain relatively high levels of ink. These waters also contain valuable chemicals, ie, sodium hydroxide and surfactants. Recycle of this water can save up to 10% ia chemical costs. 

G. H. Harris, Reagents in MineralTechnology, Surfactant Science Series, Vol. 27, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, 1988, pp. 371—383. f. Leja, Suface Chemistry of Froth Flotation, Plenum Press, New York, 1982. 

CMC), reverses the effect that the surfactant has on contact angle at lower concentrations, and at or above the CMC there is no further lowering of surface tension. At the higher concentrations, the surfactant loses some of its beneficial effect on dewateriag, as shown ia Figure 5. The beneficial effects of surfactants on dewateriag are most pronounced ia cakes that have been partially deslimed or ia cakes of partially hydrophobic particles (eg, flotation concentrates) that are adsorbed onto each other. Surfactants at or above CMC have Httle practical effect on extremely fine cakes, where pores are small and the cake has no further opportunity to consoHdate. A number of filter cakes do not respond to surfactant addition at any level. 

For any adsubble method, if the material to be removed (termed the colligend) is not itself surface-active, a suitable surfactant (termed the collector) may be added to unite with it and attach or adsorb it to the bubble surface so that it may be removed (Sebba, Ion Flotation, Elsevier, New York, 1962). The union between colligend and collector may be by chelation or other complex formation. Alternatively, a charged colhgend may be removed through its attraction toward a collector of opposite charge. 

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