The effect of hard coal density on its flotation performance

Abstract

Hard coal flotation depends on many factors, one of which is the density of the grains floated. The heavier the grain, the greater the gravitational force that counteracts the force of adhesion between the grain and an air bubble, and the lower the probability of forming the grain-air bubble aggregate. This paper presents the results of a study on the effect of grain density on hard coal flotation. To eliminate the effect of grain size, densimetric fractions of very similar grain sizes were floated. Significant differences in the floatability of grains of the same size but of different densities were found. The floatability of coal grains dramatically decreased with their density

Keywords

• coal
• flotation
• density
• grain-size distribution
• densimetric fraction
• hexanol