Tailings flotation

The (NH SC rich wash liquor passed to a regeneration plant constitutes the exit stream in Figure 1. Regenerated ammonia is the inlet stream. Regeneration is not shown in Figure 1. Neither are other sections such as pregnant solution filtration, tailings flotation and recycle treatment. 

Spiral tailing flotation Whole raw ore flotation Pilot test of spiral tailing flotation Industrial tests... 

The processes that occur in a typical flotation cell are schematically shown in Figure 5 and consist of agitation, particle—bubble coUision and attachment, flotation of particle—bubble aggregates, collection of aggregates in a froth layer at the top of the cell, removal of mineral-laden froth as concentrate, and flow of the nonfloating fraction as tailings slurry. 

If sphalerite is present in the ore the tailings from the lead flotation ceUs are discharged to another conditioner where copper sulfate is added and... 

Similarly, small (0.2—0.6 mm) air bubbles are introduced into a 2.6-m Deister Flotaire column at an intermediate level allowing rapid flotation of readily floatable material in the upper recovery zone. The bottom air permits longer retention time of the harder-to-float particles in the presence of micrometer-sized bubbles at a reduced downward velocity. The first commercial unit went on stream in 1986. It was used to improve the recovery of <0.6 mm (—28 mesh) coal in the plant s tailings. An average of 5.5% increase in coal recovery resulted from its use (14). The second commercial use processed <0.15 mm (—100 mesh) coal feed. 

When the ore contains a large amount of clay minerals, these form difficult to separate slimes, which hinder the recovery of the minerals (see Clays). The tailing from the scavenger cells can be cycloned to remove the slimes before the coarse material is floated in a tailings retreatment plant. The flotation product from the rougher cells of this plant can be reground and cleaned. This additional treatment of the tailings from the main copper flotation plant may improve the recovery of metal values by 1—3%. 

Flotation machines are bnilt in multiple units, and the flow of the pnlp through the various units is adjusted for the best results. Common practice is to feed the p ilp to several cells known as toughers, which produce a barren tailing and low-grade concentrate. The concentrate is treated, sometimes after regrinding, in cleaner cells and... 

The results of simulation have been confirmed by determination of Fe traces in quai tz sand, Cu and Mo in flotation tails and Ag in waste fixing waters on BRA-17-02 analyzer based on X-ray gas-filled electroluminescent detector and on BRA-18 analyzer based on Si-drift detector. The results of the simulation conform satisfactory with the experimental data in the mentioned cases the optimum filtration results in 2 to 5 times lowering of the detection limit. 

The galena-bearing froth is removed from the top and the impoverished tailing is drawn away from the bottom of the cell. A device in which all these processes take place is called a flotation cell (Figure 2.20). 

Copper concentration Copper ore, water, chemical reagents, thickeners Flotation wastewaters Tailings containing waste minerals such as limestone, and quartz... 

Violarite is the least floatable mineral of all the sulphides and represents a major loss of PGM in the flotation tailing from a number of operations. 

The flowsheet used to treat dolomitic oxide copper ores is somewhat different from that used in the beneficiation of siliceous oxide copper ores. This is due to the fact that dolomitic ore usually contains elevated amounts of slimes, in which case a split circuit flowsheet has been adopted in a number of operations. The typical flowsheet used for treatment of dolomitic ores is shown in Figure 19.8. Usually, the scavenger tailings are deslimed and the sand fraction is retreated in a scalp copper flotation stage. When the ore is deslimed before flotation, a large amount of fine copper is lost in the slime fraction. 

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