Effect of sodium metasilicate on natural flotability of coal

The effect of the quantity of sodium metasilicate and conditioning time in one set of experiments, and the effect of the solution concentration of sodium metasilicate, added at the same dosage and conditioning time to coal slurry, on flotability of a typical Indian coal in another set of experiments are studied. Two sets of 3² full factorial experiments are carried out to assess the effects of the aforementioned variables. The generated data are analyzed quantitatively and explained qualitatively. At 0.1% (w/v) solution concentration of solution added (0.02 g/kg) and 8 min conditioning time, sodium metasilicate acted as activator for kaolinite, whereas at 1.0% (w/v) solution concentration (0.2 g/kg), it acted as dispersant. The best observed condition of depressant is obtained at an added concentration of 10.0% (w/v, 0.2 g/kg) and 8 min conditioning time. The desired effect of the sodium metasilicate can be achieved by controlling its quantity, solution concentration added, and conditioning time.