EFFECT OF VARIOUS GASES ON THE COLUMN FLOTATION OF FINE COAL

Column flotation has proven to be the most effective technique for the flotation and recovery of ultrafine coal. The commercial application of columns in the coal industry is steadily increasing (Parekh et al., 1990; Yoon et al., 1992). For the flotation of coal or mineral air is used for generating bubbles. Using a conventional flotation cell, Mil ler and Mishra (1985) compared for the flotation behavior of fine coal using air, nitrogen and carbon dioxide gas. They concluded that carbo n dioxide gas provided a higher rate of recovery and a lower ash conte nt. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect o f various gases such as compressed air, nitrogen, argon, and carbon di oxide on the column flotation of fine coal.