Exploration on flotation behavior of galena in seawater and related mechanism

The utilization of seawater in mineral flotation is the future development trend because of the shortage of fresh water resources. However, at present, the flotation behavior and mechanism of galena in seawater are not clear. Therefore, this paper comprehensively carried out the effect mechanism of seawater on the flotation of galena. Micro-flotation results illustrated that the recovery of galena was higher in deionized water than that in 5×10-2 mol/L MgCl2 solution, 1×10-2 mol/L CaCl2 solution and seawater. Contact angle determination and Zeta potential distribution measurements showed that hydrophilic substances adsorbed on the surface of galena under alkaline conditions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis further indicated that these substances were hydroxides precipitates, carbonate precipitates and hydroxyl complexes formed by divalent magnesium and calcium ions, which prevented the adsorption of collector on mineral surface. As a result, the galena recovery declined in 5×10-2 mol/L MgCl2 solution, 1×10-2 mol/L CaCl2 solution and seawater.

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Opracowanie rekordu ze środków MEiN, umowa nr SONP/SP/546092/2022 w ramach programu "Społeczna odpowiedzialność nauki" - moduł: Popularyzacja nauki i promocja sportu (2022-2023).