(744f) Frother Performance and Its Influence on Flotation Process

Abstract Submission

PROGRAM TOPIC:

Rare Earth Elements in Fossil Fuel Derived Solids and Liquids

Exact Title of Paper:

Frother performance and its influence on flotation process

Presenting Author: Yungchieh Lai

National Energy Technology Laboratory, Department of Energy, Pittsburgh, PA

Contact Information: Yungchieh.lai@netl.doe.gov

Co-Authors: Fan Shi

National Energy Technology Laboratory, Department of Energy, Pittsburgh, PA

Contact Information: Fan.Shi@netl.doe.gov

Co-Authors: Yee Soong

National Energy Technology Laboratory, Department of Energy, Pittsburgh, PA

Contact Information: Yee.Soong@netl.doe.gov

Co-Authors: McMahan Gray

National Energy Technology Laboratory, Department of Energy, Pittsburgh, PA

Contact Information: Mac.Gray@netl.doe.gov

Abstract:

Flotation process is an aqueous, efficient, inexpensive, and well-developed commercial technology and has been widely applied in a variety of industrial processes, including mineral processing and waste water treatments. The flotation process first generates gas bubbles within a solid-liquid or liquid-liquid suspensions. The gas bubbles then attach solid particles or immiscible liquid droplets and rise to top of the liquid surface. The floated solid particles or immiscible liquid droplets finally are skimmed off to achieve the separation purpose. As particles/immiscible droplets are hydrophobic, such as greases and oils, they are easily attachable to gas bubbles and can be separated by the flotation technology.

A successful flotation process is dependent on the probability of the collision between bubbles and particles or droplets. Gas holdup is the ratio of gas volume to liquid phase in a bubble device. The increase of gas holdup will increase the opportunities of contact and attachment between particles and gas bubbles and hence increase the flotation efficiency.

The mechanic agitated flotation cell is one of the major flotation devises available, and frothers is the key to generate high gas holdup in such devise. Currently, the flotation technology has been applied at very different conditions, such as ion-containing oily waste water for oil cleanup or low temperature area for mineral processing. The effectiveness of frothers therefore can be strongly influenced by these different flotation conditions.

Here, we report the performance of frothers in the mechanic agitated flotation cell. Four different types of frothers- commercial product F660, commercial product F672, 4-Methyl-2-pentanol, and 4-heptanol- were studied at different conditions for their gas holdup generation. We will discuss the changes of gas holdup with the changing conditions. Flotation tests for practical separations are planned for the coming future. The discussion for the correlation between the performance of frothers and the separation efficacy at different conditions will be included.