Abstract:
An environmentally safe composition of matter for use as a promoter chemical in flotation separation of carbonates from industrial sand is disclosed. The promoter chemical replaces the standard petroleum sulfonate, glycol ether and nonphenol used in promoter chemicals with biodegradable substitutes permitting the waste from flotation separation to be disposed without fear of contamination of ground water. The biodegradable promoter is technically sound and causes little change to the flotation process.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a method of producing fatty acid esters of polyoxyalkylene glycerol ethers. The method comprises reacting an alkylene oxide or oxides directly with a mixture of a natural fat or oil, water and a catalyst. The method of the invention can avoid the complicatedness encountered in the prior art production processes and give polyoxyalkylene glycerol ether fatty acid esters excellent in surfactant performance.
Abstract:
A method for optimising a mineral recovery process. A slurry 10 is fed to a conditioning step 20. The condition slurry 30 is then provided to a flotation circuit 40 to recover a concentrate 50. The remainder of the slurry is then rejected as tail 60 or passed for further processing. The present invention provides apparatus for analysing a sample stream 100 of the slurry. A sample stream 100 is provided to an analysis device 200 which treats the sample with an oxidising gas similar to the oxidative treatment 20. Several parameters are measured before and/or after the oxidative treatment of the slurry. The flotability characteristic of the slurry is then determined as a function of the measured parameter(s). The result is used to optimise mineral recovery. This apparatus can be used intermittently or continuously to provide on-going optimisation of the mineral recovery circuit.
Abstract:
A process for the flotation of coarse potash ore fractions in an aqueous brine containing frother that comprises: (a) using a column flotation device in which air bubbles are generated by a sparger that utilizes high intensity shearing to mix and disperse air into brine containing frother; (b) removing a portion of the suspension at another point in the direction of flow of the suspension to regulate the upward flow rate of the suspension past the point where the air is dispersed into the suspension and thereby reducing fine particles entrainment in the froth product. The suspension can be conditioned with an aqueous composition comprising a hydrocarbon extender oil and a substantially saturated long chain primary mine, optionally comprising an acid, such as a mineral acid or carboxylic acid, to emulsify the oil in the composition, or can be conditioned with an aqueous composition comprising a long chain primary amine having an iodine value ranging from about 20 to about 70 cg/g.
Abstract:
The present invention involves a method for separating copper sulfide from rimmed iron sulfide by flotation. Prior to flotation, a slurry containing the sulfides is oxidized and conditioned to achieve a pH greater than pH 9. Thereafter, the slurry is subjected to a froth floatation process by which a copper sulfide, such as chalcopyrite, concentrate is recovered.
Abstract:
The present invention provides a process for the separation of minerals by flotation in the presence of activators and suppressors. Activators are cation-active condensation products and suppressors are anion-active products of aminoplast formers, formaldehyde and amines, ammonium salts, acids or a sulphite, in combination with either an anion-active or cation-active tensides.
Abstract:
The separation of coal from pyrite during a froth flotation process is enhanced by the use of an effective amount of a pyrite depressant. The depressant is a hydrophilic nitrogen-sulfur-containing compound.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a process for the froth flotation of complex ores. In accordance with this invention, froth flotation is carried out by using a collector and froth flotation conditions for which it has been calculated in advance that the said mineral and the collector form stable surface compounds. The conditions include the electrochemical potential of the system, the concentration of the collector, the pH, and other physical factors. According to this invention it has been observed that by adjusting the potential and the concentration of the collector separately for each mineral, each mineral can be frothed out separately from the slurry, the process being in this case specific for the mineral. When so desired, the different minerals of the ore slurry can also be frothed simultaneously by selecting the conditions where the Pourfaix-type diagrams of all minerals in said complex ore overlap under the conditions in question.
Abstract:
Method of treating a clay to remove therefrom titanium mineral impurities comprising the steps of mixing an aqueous clay with a collector for the titanium mineral impurities, a reducing agent, and, if needed, an activator preferably comprising a water-soluble ferrous salt; conditioning the resulting mixture of aqueous clay slurry, collector, reducing agent and activator to dissipate therein at least 25 horsepower hours of energy per ton of solids; subjecting the conditioned mixture to froth flotation and removing titanium impurities with the froth; and recovering clay having a reduced titanium minerals impurities content. The method includes the case where the activator is a ferrous salt formed in situ from iron impurities in the clay formed by adding said reducing agent in place of some or all of added activator.
Abstract:
Disclosed is a process for the selective separation of uranium from metals accompanying it in a uranium-containing ore, comprising the steps of preparing a uranium-containing solution; adding to the solution (i) hydrochloric acid in an amount sufficient to form complex anions of the type(UO.sub.2 Cl.sub.n).sup.n-2wherein n is 3 or 4, or (ii) sulfuric acid in an amount sufficient to form complex anions of the typeUO.sub.2 (SO.sub.4).sub.m.sup.2-2mwherein m is 2 or 3; adding to the solution a cationic surface active agent which forms a relating insoluble precipitate with the complex anion; subjecting the solution containing said precipitate to a gas flotation step; separating the foam fraction from the liquid fraction; and recovering uranium from the foam fraction. Also disclosed is an apparatus for carrying out the process.