中国工程科学 (Dec 2023)

Construction and Application of Mineral Flotation Adsorption Equilibrium Model: Accurately Analyze Ions / Reagents Adsorption Behavior on Mineral Surface

  • Gao Ya, Fu Xinzhuang, Han Haisheng, Wang Li, Yue Tong,
  • Sun Wei>

DOI
https://doi.org/10.15302/J-SSCAE-2023.07.020
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 25, no. 6
pp. 248 – 258

Abstract

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The mineral flotation adsorption equilibrium model is a mathematical model to accurately describe ions/reagents adsorption equilibrium involved in mineral flotation. It is the first time to realize quantitative affinity analysis between mineral surface sites and flotation reagents. There is a lack of scientific explanation for the traditional flotation theory on the surface-active sites, and the adsorption capacity and equilibrium state of flotation reagents are also difficult to clarify, making new reagent design mainly based on empirical methods such as trial-and-error method and compound method. Besides, if selective adsorption, as the core mechanism of flotation, cannot be precisely predicted, the development of intelligent control on flotation process will be seriously limited. This study discussed in detail the construction principle of the mineral flotation adsorption equilibrium model, taking two flotation systems of hematite-quartz and diaspore-kaolinite as examples. The constants containing site density Ns, protonation / deprotonation equilibrium constants Kt1/Kt2, and reagent adsorption constant Kf can be deduced and verified successfully. Based on these constants, mineral surface electricity and ions/reagents adsorption behavior can be forecasted. Furthermore, a kind of kernel algorithm about the mineral flotation prediction system was created through Zeta potential tests and some other verification methods. Using this algorithm, the preliminary and accurate prediction of reagent adsorption on each mineral surface at different conditions can reflect its floatability trend to a certain extent, which helps to shorten the flotation technology development cycle. It is also of great significance in the study of mineral surface reagent adsorption mechanisms, flotation reagent molecular design, and flotation process optimization and intelligent control.

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