Modification of ilmenite surface chemistry for enhancing surfactants adsorption and bubble attachment

In this study, microwave irradiation is used to modify ilmenite surface chemistry to enhance the adsorption of surfactants and the air bubble attachment. The results indicate that microwave irradiation can increase ilmenite flotation recovery by 20%. A positron emission particle tracking technique is used to study the dynamic behaviour of ilmenite particles in a Denver cell. The data shows that the poor flotation recovery of ilmenite is not only due to the reduce probability of ilmenite being captured by air bubbles, but also the short residence time of the particles remaining in the froth phase. The ilmenite particles can be frequently captured by air bubbles, but dropped to the bulk liquid from the froth phase, normally over 15 s. Microwave irradiation changes the ilmenite flow pattern in the Denver cell. The average time of ilmenite remaining in froth phase is increased from 11.5 to 29.1 s.     

Sulphur removal of iron ore tailings by flotation

Iron ore tailings have become one kind of the most hazardous solid waste. Beneficiation of iron ore tailings is a significant issue in the world steel industries, from the point of view of both pollution control and secondary resources. This investigation addressed the processing of tailings with high sulphur content from an iron ore concentrator to produce pellet feed fines and to prevent acid mine drainage. This study was the lab-scale testing of an integrated method consisting of froth flotation combined with gravity and magnetic separation. Reverse flotation located at the end of the primary treatment circuit (high- and low-intensity magnetic separation) will lower a large amount of the sulphur from magnetic separator concentrate. The effects of various operating parameters such as concentrations of collector, frother, depressant and activator, pH, solid-in-pulp concentration have been studied on the sulphur removal using reverse flotation. According to the data presented in this study, the maximum recovery of total sulphur was obtained when the operational parameters were set to the PAX dosage160?gr/t, MIBC dosage 140?gr/t, CuSo₄ 100?gr/t, air flow rate 10?l/min, pH 8.5, and pulp density 30%. With these optimum parameters, final concentrate with the grade of 63.7% Fe and 0.085% S was obtained. The results of this study indicated that, with this method, a great amount of iron concentrate is produced and, simultaneously, the sulphidic fraction is separated that can later be managed more easily owing to the reduced volume.     

Comparison of Phosphonic and Pyrophosphonic Acids as Collectors for the Cassiterite Flotation

Abstract

Styryl phosphonic acid (SPA) is a collector used in the industrial flotation of cassiterite, During its production from styrene and PCl₅ by-products are formed in different amounts. One of these is condensed SPA caused by uncomplete hydrolysis of the intermediary phosphonic acid chloride. Attempts were made to synthesize definite forms of condensed SPA in order to study their influence on the results of flotation. Conventional methods-partial hydrolysis of phosphonic acid chlorides or reaction of acid chlorides with the free acid-did not lead to the desired result. Diammonium salt of the pyro-SPA was obtained by the method of (1) using dehydration of phosphonic acid by heating with urea. A series of analogous aromatic pyro-phosphonic acids was synthesized. The hydrophobization effect on Sn0₂ surfaces was studied by microflotation tests in a modified Hallimond tube. Pyrophosphonic acids are more hydrophobic than the corresponding phosphonic acids. The results of the microflotation experiments were confirmed by batch flotation tests with a natural tin ore in a 2–1 cell. The Sn recovery was higher with the pyro compounds.     

The Effect of Oleic Acid Emulsification using SPE on Fluorite and Dolomite Flotation**

Collector OA, oleic acid, is widely used industrially for fluorite flotation. Low selectivity, dispersibility and collecting capability of the OA collector are always observed. In this study, compared with flotation of dolomite, a collector mixture of OA and SPE (styrylphenol polyoxyethylene ether) demonstrated significantly better performances for the fluorite. An optimal mass ratio 4 : 1 OA : SPE was found, and the recovery of fluorite was increased from over 85 % to more than 94 % compared with pure OA. Furthermore, the dosage of the collector agent was reduced from 50 mg mL⁻¹ to 20 mg mL⁻¹, which did not negatively impact the recovery of dolomite. The results from the contact angle tests indicated that SPE selectively increased the surface hydrophobicity of fluorite but had little effect on dolomite. Besides, zeta potential measurements and IR analyses revealed that the addition of SPE led to strong chemical adsorption on the surface of fluorite, resulting in a significant difference in the flotation performances of the two minerals. Therefore, SPE-emulsified OA is corroborated to prompt more selectivity and collecting capability on flotation of fluorite over dolomite.     

Hydrolysis of chitosan under microwave irradiation in ionic liquids promoted by sulfonic acid-functionalized ionic liquids

Hydrolysis of chitosan in ionic liquids was carried out under microwave irradiation (MW) using sulfonic acid-functionalized ionic liquids (SFILs) as catalysts. The effect of microwave power, irradiation time, dosage of SFILs and DMSO was investigated by orthogonal tests. Under the optimal reaction conditions, the yield of total reducing sugars (TRS) reached over 90% within 2 min. The viscosity-average molecular weight of degraded chitosan was determined by viscosity method. The structures of the original and degraded chitosan were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹³C NMR). The influence of microwave power and irradiation time on the TRS and M_v was further studied. This method can dramatically reduce reaction time.     

Using microwave along with TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> for degradation of 4-chloro-2-nitrophenol in aqueous environment

In this project, microwave (MW) irradiation, photolysis, and photo catalyst were used for degradation of 4-chloro-2-nitro phenol (4-C2NP) in aqueous environment. The influence of main operating parameters such as initial pH, initial concentration of 4C2NP, power dissipation and the dosage of TiO2 on the degradation efficiency has been investigated. The optimum conditions was obtained such as initial concentration of 4C2NP at 30 mg L^?1, initial pH at 6, power dissipation at 16 W for UV irradiation, and the amount of TiO₂ at 0.2 g L^?1. The removal of 4C2NP and chemical oxygen demand (COD) after 100 min of reaction in the combined method (MW/UV/TiO₂) was obtained as 80.5% and 47.3%, respectively. Almost all processes are followed from the pseudo first order kinetics and the degradation rate of 4C2NP obeyed the following order: UV/TiO₂/MW > UV/TiO₂ > MW/UV > UV>MW.     

Simulated parametric optimization of the back-lit Si solar cell

The back-lit design is viable for the Si solar cell because Si is an indirect-gap semiconductor that requires a relatively long absorption depth. In this work, key parameters relating to the operation of the back-lit mono-crystalline Si solar cell are investigated by using the Medici device simulator. On the effect of the photon incident angle on the solar cell power, a reduction of as much as 16% is observed when the incident angle is reduced 3.8° from the vertical incidence. The ideal thickness of the p-type substrate that leads to the maximum cell power is found to be 70 μm or less. In the back-lit design, both the n-type collector contact and the p-type substrate contact are located on the front side. To the extent of the 10 μm-wide design investigated, it is found that the larger the n-type collector width, or the smaller the p-type substrate contact, the larger the cell power. In regards to the substrate and collector doping, the optimum doping concentrations leading to a maximum cell power of 2.28 × 10^?2 W cm^?2, or 22.8 mW cm^?2, are found to be 1 × 10¹⁶ cm^?3 and 1 × 10¹⁷ cm^?3 for the substrate and the collector, respectively. In terms of the wavelength of the incident light, the cell power is nearly steady up to 0.8 μm, but decreases rapidly above, as the photon energy falls to near or under the energy gap. All considered, the back-lit design, which simplifies fabrication by putting both the cathode and the anode on the front side, is found to produce a cell power as little as 15% less than that of a standard front-lit design.     

XPS and ToF‐SIMS study of a chalcopyrite–pyrite–sphalerite mixture treated with xanthate and sodium bisulphite

We present data from the surface analysis of a mineral mixture of chalcopyrite, pyrite, and sphalerite, elucidating surface reactions occurring during grinding and flotation. Flotation tests are also performed on the mixture, carried out in the presence of collector (SIBX) and also in the absence and presence of sodium bisulphite (NaHSO₃), a gangue sulphide mineral depressant. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies on the ground mineral sample prior to flotation indicate that the mineral feed is heavily oxidised, especially the sphalerite in the mixture. Flotation recovery data clearly shows the effect of this oxidation, with the mineral recoveries of all three phases being lower than those observed in single mineral studies. In addition, the flotation recoveries show the effect of the inadvertent copper activation of pyrite and sphalerite, and the effect of bisulphite in reducing the flotation of sphalerite and pyrite in the mixture. Time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry(ToF‐SIMS) data indicates that the depressing effect of bisulphite is due to the removal of copper and sulphur‐like species from the surface of pyrite and sphalerite and a consequent increase in the oxidation of these minerals. ToF‐SIMS data also indicates that the low recovery of pyrite and chalcopyrite in the absence of collector is most likely due to precipitation of zinc hydroxide on the surfaces of these minerals, formed in solution due to copper activation of sphalerite. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

N,N'-二乙氧羰基-O,O'-烷基二硫氨酯的合成及表征

关于含有一个酯基和一个硫代酰胺基团的硫氨酯的合成研究已有大量报道,但含有两个酯基和两个硫代酰胺基团的硫氨酯的合成研究尚未见报道。由氯甲酸乙酯和硫氰酸钠经亲核取代反应和异构化合成N-烃氧羰基异硫氰酸酯中间体,再将该中间体与二醇经亲核加成反应,合成出了3种未见报道的N,N’-二乙氧羰基-O,O’-烷基二硫氨酯。经元素分析、红外光谱、核磁共振氢谱及碳谱分析,证实所合成的化合物即为目标产物。小型浮选实验表明,仅使用6 g/t的目标化合物a~c,铜的品位即可分别达到6.12%、6.35%、5.92%,回收率分别达到75.31%、76.50%、76.35%,用量远低于丁基黄药,且铜的品位和回收率都有不同程度的提高,可作为一种新型捕收剂应用到硫化铜类的矿物浮选中。     

Analysis and Characterization of Microwave Irradiation–Induced Graft Copolymerization of Methyl Methacrylate onto Delignified Grewia Optiva Fiber

Grafting of methyl methacrylate (MMA) onto delignified Grewia optiva fiber using ascorbic acid/H₂O₂ as an initiator was carried out under microwave irradiation. The effects of varying the microwave power, exposure time, and concentration of initiator and monomer of graft polymerization were studied to obtain maximum grafting percentage (26.54%). The experimental results showed that the optimal conditions for grafting were: exposure time, 10min; microwave power, 110 W; ascorbic acid concentration, 3.74mol/L × 10^?2; H₂O₂ concentration, 0.97mol/L × 10^?1; monomer concentration, 1.87mol/L × 10^?1. The graft copolymers were characterized by Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).     

Zinc Recovery from Wulagen Sulfide Flotation Plant Tail by Applying Ether Amine Organic Collectors

Separating oxidized zinc minerals from flotation tailings is always a challenge. In this study, a flotation tailing from Wulagen zinc mine in China (Zn grade < 1%) was processed using froth flotation with combinations of amines (OPA 10, OPA 1214, OPA 13, DDA) and Na₂S to study the effects of these amines on the zinc recovery as well as their interactions with other reagents, aiming to screen out a proper reagent scheme to improve zinc separation from extremely low-grade zinc flotation tailings. The results show that different amines led to different flotation performance, and the collectors were ranked as OPA 1214, OPA 13, OPA 10 and DDA in a decreasing order based on flotation collectivity and selectivity. An increase in the concentration of each collector increased the zinc recovery but reduced the concentrate zinc grade. Interactions were also observed between different amines and Na₂S and Na₂SiO₃, and OPA 1214 outdid the others in saving the usage of both the Na₂S and Na₂SiO₃. The measured adsorption of collector onto smithsonite was found to correlate well with flotation test results. It was concluded that hydrocarbon chains can be held accountable for the difference in the flotation performance with different amines. The longer the hydrocarbon chain, the stronger the hydrophobic association ability of amine, which is conducive to the selective amine adsorption onto sulfurized smithsonite particles and hence the smithsonite flotation.     

Beneficiation of borax by reverse flotation in boron saturated brine

Flotation is one of the plausible methods for recovering borax fines discharged as fine waste to the tailings dam in the Kirka borax processing plant. A literature review dealing with the flotation behavior of boron minerals reveals that clay minerals in the boron ores coat boron minerals and thus deteriorate the quality of boron concentrates produced by direct flotation. The main objective of this study is therefore to recover borax fines from the tailings of the concentrator by reverse flotation. A three-level-factor experimental design was used to determine the main and interaction effects of variables selected on the metallurgical performance of reverse flotation. An analysis of variance for experimental results indicates that interaction effects of the variables for concentrate quality and recovery of B2O3 is nonsignificant and the most important variable for grade of concentrate and recovery is the collector dosage. It is shown that a concentrate assaying 11.25% B2O3 with 89.90% B2O3 recovery could be produced by means of single-stage (rougher) reverse flotation. Additionally, in order to produce a sufficient-quality concentrate, a multistage reverse flotation scheme involving rougher, scavenger, and two cleaners was devised. A final concentrate containing 23.47% B2O3 with 81.78% B2O3 recovery was obtained from these tests. The reverse flotation method can be thus considered as an important option for the beneficiation of borax fines.     

Microwave‐assisted extraction and rapid isolation of ursolic acid from the leaves of Eucalyptus × hybrida Maiden and its quantification using HPLC‐diode array technique

Ursolic acid (UA) is the most important bioactive phytoconstituent of Eucalyptus × hybrida Maiden leaves and exhibits anticancer, antimutagenic, anti‐inflammatory, antioxidative, and antiprotozoal activities. In this study, microwave‐assisted extraction technique was employed for rapid isolation of UA from the leaves of Eucalyptus × hybrida and simultaneously HPLC‐diode array method was developed for the quantification of UA. Effects of several experimental parameters on the extraction efficiencies of UA, such as type and volume of extraction solvents, microwave power and extraction time, were evaluated. The optimal extraction conditions were found to be 20 mL of a mixture of chloroform/methanol, 60:40; liquid‐to‐material ratio, 4:1; preleaching time, 10 min; microwave power, 600 W; temperature, 50°C; and microwave irradiation time, 5 min. Under the optimum conditions, the yield of UA was found to be 1.95 ± 0.08% in the dry leaves of Eucalyptus × hybrida. The results showed that microwave‐assisted extraction is a more rapid extraction method with higher yield and lower solvent consumptions than the conventional method. It is a faster, convenient, and appropriate method and it may be used for rapid isolation and quantification of UA and other important phytoconstituents present in the leaves of Eucalyptus × hybrida.     

Surface activity and mercury flotation in solutions of n-dodecanoic acid and n-dodecylamine

The flotation and adsorption properties of two ionic collectors (n-dodecylamine andn-dodecanoic acid) are compared on the bases of results of mercury flotation in the model flotation apparatus and electrochemical measurements of the double layer capacity.The flotation recovery and the adsorption parameters (standard free enthalpyG° _A, the interaction coefficient of Frumkin's isotherm, the surface area per molecule) have been determined within the pH range 2.5–12 in solutions of various collector concentrations containing 0.1 N KCl. The maxima of flotation recovery and surface excess have been found at pHs corresponding to pK values for both substances. The influence of the electrolyte on flotation recovery and the gas bubble size distribution dependent upon the pH of the solution is presented forn-dodecanoic acid. The maxima of flotation recovery are involved through the formation of ion-molecule associates (11) as well as an optimum of the bubble size distribution.Publ.-No. 811 from Research Institute of Mineral Processing, Academy of Sciences of the German Democratic-Republic, Freiberg.     

1,2,3-苯三氧基三乙酸的浮选抑制性能

抑制剂;1;2;3-苯三氧基三乙酸的浮选抑制性能     

Microwave-assisted synthesis of ZnO and its photocatalytic activity in degradation of CTAB

Nanosized zinc oxide (nano-ZnO) was prepared by a microwave irradiation method using zinc nitrate and triethanolamine as starting materials and distilled water as a solvent. The as-prepared powder was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The photocatalytic degradation of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) using the prepared material under UV irradiation was studied.The effects of ZnO dosage and initial pH on the photodegradation of CTAB were investigated. As the ZnO load increased, the CTAB degradation first increased and then decreased. The optimum ZnO dosage was 3 g L^–1. Photodegradation of CTAB is more efficient in slightly alkaline media (pH 9).     

Preparation and Characterization of Quaternized Chitosan Under Microwave Irradiation

For the first time, N-(2-hydroxyl) propyl-3-trimethyl ammonium chitosan chloride (HTCC) was prepared through a fast, easy and efficient method with the assistance of microwave irradiation, and the quaternized chitosan was also degraded via the microwave irradiation. A comparative study was performed by using the conventional heating method to prepare HTCC. The structure and property of the quaternized chitosan obtained by these two methods were characterized by GPC, XRD, FTIR, NMR, TG and elemental analysis. It was shown that quaternized chitosan was successfully prepared within 50 min via microwave irradiation method, while a much longer time of 6–7 h was needed with the conventional heating method. The substitutions both occurred on the C2 position of chitosan with the two different methods, and their HTCC products had weight average similar molecular weight (Mw), structure and thermal stability. The HTCC prepared by the microwave irradiation method had a little lower degree of substitution (DS) than those prepared via conventional heating with the same mole ratio (6:1) of the intermediate to chitosan. The degradation study showed that the Mw of HTCC decreased rapidly from 4.6 × 10⁵ to 1.1 × 10⁵ in 1 h under microwave irradiation, while it only decreased from 4.6 × 10⁵ to 2.1 × 10⁵in 1 h through conventional heating degradation. These results revealed that microwave irradiation is a more efficient and environment-friendly way to obtain the water-soluble chitosan derivatives and their degraded products.     

Adsorption of N-tallow 1,3-propanediamine-dioleate collector on albite and quartz minerals, and selective flotation of albite from greek stefania feldspar ore

The adsorption behavior of tallow 1,3-propanediamine-dioleate (Duomeen TDO) collector on albite and quartz minerals is assessed through Hallimond flotation, zeta potential, and diffuse reflectance FTIR investigations, together with the species distribution of the collector. The collector performance on albite separation from a natural feldspar material is evaluated in bench scale flotation tests. The Hallimond flotation responses of the minerals as a function of pH and collector concentration indicate that albite can be selectively floated from quartz at pH 2 where the doubly positively charged collector species adsorb on albite but not on quartz. However, the zeta potential and infrared spectra reveal that the adsorption behavior of the collector is similar on both minerals. The discrepancy in the flotation and adsorption results is attributed to the coarse and fine particle size fractions, and the shorter and longer equilibration periods employed in these studies respectively. The comparable adsorption on fine particles of albite and quartz at pH 2 is explained by the interaction of ammonium ions on silanol groups by hydrogen bonding as well as electrostatic interactions. The changes in zeta potentials are in good agreement with the formation of ionic species and free molecular forms of the collector. The IR spectra show the coexistence of neutral oleic acid together with charged amine species at low pH values in accordance with the species distribution diagram. Selective flotation of albite is accomplished from a natural feldspar material with tallow diamine-dioleate collector at pH 2 using sulfuric acid, only when the feed is deslimed prior to the bench scale flotation tests. An albite recovery exceeding 85% is achieved from a feed material containing about 50% albite.     

The flotation separation of apatite from dolomite using a fatty acid-based collector and the mechanisms of adsorption

In this work, GJBW, a fatty acid-based agent, was used as an efficient collector to separate dolomite from apatite to achieve high-purity apatite. The flotation performance of dolomite and apatite in the phosphate (H₃PO₄) system treated with sodium oleate (NaOl) and GJBW, respectively, was studied and compared. Microheat tests, surface characterization, and flotation solution chemistry calculations were used to evaluate the adsorption mechanism of GJBW onto dolomite. The smoothness and flatness of dolomite treated and untreated with GJBW may be also detected via atomic force microscopy (AFM). Microflotation results illustrated that GJBW performed better than NaOl for separating apatite from dolomite under the H₃PO₄ system. The grade of P₂O₅ in concentrates treated with 10 mg/L GJBW was 31.49%, which was 4.98% higher than that of NaOl. The recovery rate of P₂O₅ was 87.05%, which was 4.71% higher than that of NaOl. Microheat tests demonstrated that GJBW generated a higher heat of adsorption onto dolomite than did the same concentration of NaOl, significantly enhancing the dolomite's hydrophobicity. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), zeta potential, flotation solution chemistry calculations, and surface characterization further demonstrated that GJBW may ionize large amounts of RCOO⁻ and H (RCOO)²⁻ ions in solution, which can be significantly chemisorbed with numerous sites of Ca and Mg exposed to dolomite, forming dense point-like adsorption onto dolomite. These findings shed more light on the mechanism of interaction between GJBW and dolomite, which has profound implications for the study and use of fatty acid-based treatments in phosphate ores.     

Effect of electrolyte on surface free energy components of feldspar minerals using thin-layer wicking method

Application of the thin-layer wicking (TLW) technique on powdered minerals is useful for characterizing their surfaces. Albite (Na-feldspar) and orthoclase (K-feldspar) are feldspar minerals which are frequently found in the same matrix. Despite similarities in their physicochemical properties, separation of these minerals from each other by flotation is generally possible in the presence of monovalent salts such as NaCl. Both albite and orthoclase exhibit the same microflotation properties and rather close electrokinetic profiles in the absence of salt. In this study, contact angles of albite and orthoclase determined by the TLW technique yielded close values in the absence and presence of amine collector. While the calculated surface energies and their components determined using contact angle data reveal that the energy terms remain farther apart in the absence of the collector, the differences narrow down at collector concentrations where full flotation recoveries are obtained. However, the effect of addition of NaCl on contact angles and surface free energy components at constant amine concentration indicates that albite is significantly affected by salt addition, whereas orthoclase remains marginally affected. This interesting finding is explained on the basis of ion-exchange properties, the stability of the interface, flotation data, and zeta potential data in the presence of NaCl.