NEW TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE IN FLOTATION SEPARATIONS

The use of xanthates for the flotation of sulfide minerals continues t o be the subject of much research, with particular reference to select ivity in complex systems. New reagents, usually thio-compounds, contin ue to be proposed and investigated. The depression of silicate mineral s with natural gums has been further elucidated. Features of much of t he work on collection, activation and depression are the use of advanc ed methods of examination of surfaces in aqueous systems, and the use of atomic force microscopy and other methods of studying the interacti ons between surfaces. Progress is also being made on the physical aspe cts of flotation processes, including particle collection by bubbles i n the liquid phase, and transport phenomena in the froth. New methods of activating the surfaces of minerals for flotation - by physical rem oval of adsorbed layers, by high-intensity conditioning, and by creati ng microbubbles on the surface of particles - have evolved.