A new microcolumn flotation cell for determining the wettability and floatability of minerals

Flotation is one of the most important physicochemical processes for mineral separations and other recovery operations. Flotation machines have been developed since the beginning of the 19th century and are still under intensive research and development. The cell we devised is a combination of the Canadian column flotation cell and the Partridge-Smith cell. The materials used for the construction of the new cell are cheap and use available laboratory accessories and aquarium materials. The cell functions well in terms of its scale, control, and sample requirement. It can be used both in the laboratory for research and in classrooms for demonstrations of experiments. Some of the data obtained by the flotation method using this cell are in good agreement with data measured independently on the same minerals by the contact angles method. The critical values of surface tension of wetting (gamma(c)) for talc, sulfur, and chemically treated surfaces of calcite and barite obtained by the contact angle measurements were 31, 26, 30.5, and 31.2 mN/m, respectively. On the other hand, the gamma(c) values of those minerals, obtained using our new designed flotation cell, were 30, 28, 31.4, and 34.5 mN/m, respectively. The measurements obtained in our experiment are also comparable to those previously published for the same minerals.     

Effect of anionic surfactant and short-chain alcohol mixtures on adsorption at quartz/water and water/air interfaces and the wettability of quartz

Measurements of the advancing contact angles for aqueous solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDDS) or sodium hexadecyl sulfonate (SHS) in mixtures with methanol, ethanol, or propanol on a quartz surface were carried out. On the basis of the obtained results and Young and Gibbs equations the critical surface tension of quartz wetting, the composition of the surface layer at the quartz-water interface, and the activity coefficients of the anionic surfactants and alcohols in this layer as well as the work of adhesion of aqueous solutions of anionic surfactant and alcohol mixtures to the quartz surface were determined. The analysis of the contact angle data showed that the wettability of quartz changed visibly only in the range of alcohol and anionic surfactant concentration at which these surface-active agents were present in the solution in the monomeric form. The analysis also showed that there was a linear dependence between the adhesion and the surface tension of aqueous solutions of anionic surfactant and alcohol mixtures. This dependence can be described by linear equations for which the constants depend on the anionic surfactant and alcohol concentrations. The slope of all linear dependence between adhesion and surface tension was positive. The critical surface tension of quartz wetting determined from this dependence by extrapolating the adhesion tension to the value equal to the surface tension (for contact angle equal zero) depends on the assumption whether the concentration of anionic surfactant or alcohol was constant. Its average value is equal to 29.95mN/m and it is considerably lower than the quartz surface tension. The positive slope of the adhesion-surface tension curves was explained by the possibility of the presence of liquid vapor film beyond the solution drop which settled on the quartz surface and the adsorption of surface-active agents at the quartz/monolayer water film-water interface. This conclusion was confirmed by the work of adhesion of aqueous solutions of anionic surfactants and short-chain alcohol mixtures to the quartz surface determined on the basis of the contact angle data and molar fraction of anionic surfactants and alcohols and their activity coefficient in the surface layer.     

Wetting characteristics of aqueous rhamnolipids solutions

The wetting properties of surfactants on solid surfaces form the basis of many industrial and biological processes. The preferential adsorption of the surfactants from aqueous solutions onto solid surfaces alter the adhesion tension of the surface and this behavior may cause partial to complete wetting of the surfaces by the aqueous surfactant solutions. However, different types of surfactants show different wetting characteristics. To study the wetting properties of biologically produced rhamnolipids (RL), advancing contact angles of the aqueous solutions of the RL mixture of R1 and R2 in a ratio of R2/R1=1.1 were measured as a function of surfactant concentration. For a comparison of the wetting performance, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was chosen as the reference surfactant. A hydrophilic glass surface, a hydrophobic polymer, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and gold surface were used as the solid surfaces to determine the wetting characteristics of rhamnolipids. At low surfactant concentrations (RL concentration <3x10(-5)M, SDS concentration<3x10(-4)M) contact angle (Theta) varied in a certain range depending on the character of the surfactant interactions with the surface. This was followed by a decrease in contact angle. Parallel to this behavior, at low surfactant concentrations the adhesion tension decreased, then remained constant and an increase at higher surfactant concentrations was obtained on hydrophobic surfaces. On hydrophilic surfaces a steady decrease in adhesion tension was observed with both surfactant solutions.     

Shear flocculation of celestite with sodium oleate and tallow amine acetate: effects of cations

Sodium oleate and tallow amine acetate (TAA) were used as surfactants for the shear flocculation of celestite. The shear-flocculation power values obtained with sodium oleate were higher than those obtained with TAA in terms of the concentrations used in the shear-flocculation experiments. In addition, sodium oleate and TAA were more effective on the celestite suspension in the pH ranges of 7-11 and 6-10, respectively. For the shear-flocculation experiments with sodium oleate at pH 11, with preaddition of calcium or magnesium ions at 5 x 10(-5) M and lower concentrations into the suspension, the shear flocculation of the celestite suspension was promoted by the coagulation process due to the calcium and magnesium cations added. However, the shear-flocculation power values decreased due to the interaction between surfactant and cations at concentration values higher than 5 x 10(-5) M for magnesium ions and 10(-3) M for calcium ion. Particularly, magnesium ions significantly reduced the shear-flocculation power values by slime coating of Mg(OH)2 precipitates.     

A study on the relationship between critical surface tension of wetting and oil agglomeration recovery of calcite

In this study, it was investigated that the relationship between the critical surface tension of wetting of calcite and agglomeration recovery depending on pH and amount of collector (Na oleate). For this purpose, effects of pH and the amount of collector on the agglomeration recovery were investigated and, also, zeta potential measurements and Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR) analyses have been carried out to determine the adsorption type of Na oleate on calcite surface. In this paper, the decisive rules could not put down as evidence of agglomeration success with the critical surface tension of wetting value as in the flotation, because there are different liquids as water and oil (bridging liquid) in the agglomeration system.     

Wettability of polymeric solids by ternary mixtures composed of hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon nonionic surfactants

Contact angle (θ) measurements on poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) surface were carried out for the systems containing ternary mixtures of surfactants composed of: p-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenoxypoly(ethylene glycols), Triton X-100 (TX100), Triton X-165 (TX165) and Triton X-114 (TX114), and fluorocarbon surfactants, Zonyl FSN100 (FSN100) and Zonyl FSO100 (FSO100). The aqueous solutions of ternary surfactant mixtures were prepared by adding TX114, FSN100 or FSO100 to binary mixtures of TX100+TX165, where the synergistic effect in the reduction of the surface tension of water (γ(LV)) was determined. From the obtained contact angle values, the relationships between cosθ, the adhesion tension and surface tension of solutions, cosθ and the reciprocal of the surface tension were determined. On the basis of these relationships, the correlation between the critical surface tension of PTFE and PMMA wetting and the surface tension of these polymers as well as the work of adhesion of aqueous solutions of ternary surfactant mixtures to PTFE and PMMA surface were discussed. The critical surface tension of PTFE and PMMA wetting, γ(C), determined from the contact angle measurements of aqueous solutions of surfactants including FSN100 or FSO100 was also discussed in the light of the surface tension changes of PTFE and PMMA under the influence of film formation by fluorocarbon surfactants on the surface of these polymers. The γ(C) values of the studied polymeric solids were found to be different for the mixtures composed of hydrocarbon surfactants in comparison with those of hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon surfactants. In the solutions containing fluorocarbon surfactants, the γ(C) values were different taking into account the contact angle in the range of FSN100 and FSO100 concentration corresponding to their unsaturated monolayer at water-air interface or to that saturated.     

The adsorption of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and propanol mixtures with regard to wettability of polytetrafluoroethylene II. Adsorption at polytetrafluoroethylene-aqueous solution interface and wettability

Measurements of contact angles (theta) of aqueous solutions of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and propanol mixtures at constant CTAB concentration equal to 1x10(-5), 1x10(-4), 6x10(-4) and 1x10(-3) M on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) were carried out. The obtained results indicate that the wettability of PTFE by aqueous solutions of these mixtures depends on their composition and concentration. They also indicate that, contrary to Zisman, there is no linear relationship between cos theta and the surface tension (gamma(LV)), but a linear relationship exists between the adhesional (gamma(LV)cos theta) and surface tension of aqueous solutions of CTAB and propanol mixtures. Curve gamma(LV)cos theta vs gamma(LV) has a slope equal -1 suggesting that adsorption of CTAB and propanol mixtures and the orientation of their molecules at aqueous solution-air and PTFE-aqueous solution interfaces is the same. Extrapolating this curve to the value of gamma(LV)cos theta corresponding to theta=0, the value of the critical tension of PTFE wetting equal 23.4 mN/m was determined. This value was higher than that obtained from contact angles of n-alkanes on PTFE surface (20.24 mN/m). The difference between the critical surface tension values of wetting probably resulted from the fact that at cos theta=1 the PTFE-aqueous solution of CTAB and propanol mixture interface tension was not equal to zero. This tension was determined on the basis of the measured contact angles and Young equation. It appeared that the values of PTFE-aqueous solution of the CTAB and propanol mixtures interface tension can be satisfactorily determined by modified Szyszkowski equation only for solutions in which probably CTAB and propanol molecules are present in monomeric form. However, it appeared that using the equation of Miller et al., in which the possibility of aggregation of propanol molecules in the interface layer is taken into account, it is possible to describe the PTFE-solution interfacial tension for all systems studied in the same way as by the Young equation. On the basis of linear dependence between the adhesional and surface tension it was established that the work of adhesion of aqueous solution of CTAB and propanol mixtures does not depend on its composition and concentration, and the average value of this work was equal to 46.85 mJ/m(2), which was similar to that obtained for adhesion of aqueous solutions of two cationic surfactants mixtures to PTFE surface.     

Silicon-modified carbohydrate surfactants. VII: Impact of different silicon substructures on the wetting behaviour of carbohydrate surfactants on low-energy surfaces — distance decay of donor–acceptor forces

The wetting behaviour of carbohydrate surfactants bearing siloxane, carbosilane, polysilane or silane moieties has been investigated. By static surface tension (γ_lv, σ) and wetting tension (γ_sv−γ_sl, α) measurements on a non-polar perfluorinated surface (FEP®), the contact angles of aqueous surfactant solutions above the critical micelle formation concentration (cmc) were determined. Surface tension and wetting tension react independently on defined changes in the chemical structure of the surfactant molecules. Siloxane surfactants reduce the surface tension most effectively, whereas for a neopentyl-substituted silane derivative the lowest solid/liquid interfacial tension was found. The data for isomeric siloxanes, carbosilanes and silanes suggest that donor–acceptor forces at solid interfaces have a maximum range of about 4.5 Å. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Microbially induced separation of quartz from calcite using Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and their metabolites were successfully utilized to achieve selective separation of quartz and calcite through microbially induced flotation and flocculation. S. cerevisiae was adapted to calcite and quartz minerals. Adsorption studies and electrokinetic investigations were carried out to understand the changes in the surface chemistry of yeast cells and the minerals after mutual interaction. Possible mechanisms in microbially induced flotation and flocculation are outlined.     

Studies on solvophobic interactions and micelle formation in non aqueous solvents

Micelle formation of various surfactants, such as sodium caprylate, sodium laurate, sodium palmitate and sodium stearate has been studied in organic solvents of various dielectric constants and intermolecular H-bonding capability, viz. molten acetamide, N-methyl acetamide (NMA) and N,N-dimethyl acetamide (DMA), at different temperatures by electrical conductivity and surface tension methods. Both methods show that micelles are formed in acetamide, NMA and DMA. Gibbs energy changes, enthalpies and entropies of micelle formation, respectively, have been determined by studying the variation of critical micelle concentration (c.m.c.) with temperature. Micelle formation in these solvents has been explained on the basis of several factors such as dielectric constant of the medium, its intermolecular H-bonding capability including solvophobic interaction.     

Promoting Efficacy and Environmental Safety of Pesticide Synergists via Non-Ionic Gemini Surfactants with Short Fluorocarbon Chains

Improving the utilization rate of pesticides is key to achieve a reduction and synergism, and adding appropriate surfactant to pesticide preparation is an effective way to improve pesticide utilization. Fluorinated surfactants have excellent surface activity, thermal and chemical stability, but long-chain linear perfluoroalkyl derivatives are highly toxic, obvious persistence and high bioaccumulation in the environment. Therefore, new strategies for designing fluorinated surfactants which combine excellent surface activity and environmental safety would be useful. In this study, four non-ionic gemini surfactants with short fluorocarbon chains were synthesized. The surface activities of the resulting surfactants were assessed on the basis of equilibrium surface tension, dynamic surface tension, and contact angle. Compared with their monomeric counterparts, the gemini surfactants had markedly lower critical micelle concentrations and higher diffusivities, as well as better wetting abilities. We selected a single-chain surfactant and a gemini surfactant with good surface activities as synergists for the glyphosate water agent. Both surfactants clearly improved the efficacy of the herbicide, but the gemini surfactant had a significantly greater effect than the single-chain surfactant. An acute toxicity test indicated that the gemini surfactant showed slight toxicity to rats.     

Comparison of effects of sodium carboxymethylcellulose and superabsorbent polymer on coal dust wettability by surfactants

The interactions of sodium carboxymethylcellulose (SCMC) and a superabsorbent polymer (SA) with aqueous solutions of active surfactants such as sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS) and alkyl polyglycoside were investigated in terms of surface tension, sink time, and foam liquid fraction. An SA is a more suitable surfactant than SCMC for wetting coal dust, and SDBS and an SA additive in an SA:SDBS weight ratio of 1:4 is the best coal dust suppressant.     

Molecular interactions of cationic and anionic surfactants in mixed monolayers and aggregates

The properties of anionic-rich and cationic-rich mixtures of CTAB (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) and SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate) were investigated with conductometry and surface tension measurements and by determining the surfactant NMR self-diffusion coefficients. The critical aggregate concentration (CAC), surface tension reduction effectiveness(gamma(CAC)), surface excess(Gamma(max)), and mean molecular surface area (A(min)) were determined from plots of the surface tension (gamma) as a function of the total surfactant concentration. The compositions of the adsorbed films (Z) and aggregates (chi) were estimated by using regular solution theory, and then the interaction parameters in the aggregates (beta) and the adsorbed film phases (beta(sigma)) were calculated. The results showed that the synergism between the surfactants enhances the formation of mixed aggregates and reduces the surface tension. Further, the nature and strength of the interaction between the surfactants in the mixtures were obtained by calculating the values of the following parameters: the interaction parameter, beta, the size parameter, rho, and the nonrandom mixing parameter, P*. These results indicate that in ionic surfactant mixtures the optimized packing parameter has the highest value and that the size parameter can be used to account for deviations from the predictions of regular solution theory. It was concluded that, for planar air/aqueous interfaces and aggregation systems, this nonideality increases as the temperature increases. This trend is attributed to the increased dehydration of the surfactant head groups that results from increases in temperature. Further, our conductometry measurements show that the counterion binding number of mixed micelles formed in mixtures with a high CTAB content is different to those with a high SDS content. This difference is due to either their different aggregation sizes or the different interactions between the head groups and the counterions.     

Adsorption properties of novel gemini surfactants with nonidentical head groups

Novel environmentally friendly gemini surfactants, each with two hydrophilic and two hydrophobic groups, have been synthesized and their physicochemical properties investigated. One of the hydrophilic groups is a methyl-capped polyoxyethylene chain with mol wt 350, 550, and 750 g/mol, respectively, and the other is a sulfate group; the hydrophobic part of the surfactant is made from oleylnitrile. This nitrile derivative of the fatty acid is used to achieve good hydrolytic stability. Du Nouy ring and maximum bubble pressure tensiometry were used for equilibrium and dynamic surface tensions, gamma(e) and gamma(t), respectively. The aqueous-phase critical micelle concentrations of the heterogeminis (HGs) have been investigated. The results have been compared with those for mixtures of standard surfactants sodium decylsulfate and octaoxyethyleneglycol mono n-decyl ether under equivalent conditions. The HGs are shown to exhibit improved performance over the mixed system both in terms of micellization and surface tension lowering. Dynamic surface tension (DST) studies were performed to investigate air-water adsorption mechanisms. A diffusion-limited mechanism was confirmed in the initial stages of adsorption. However, closer to the equilibrium the DST data are inconsistent with a diffusion-only mechanism. In particular, the HGs show a larger deviation from diffusion control as compared to the model mixture, which is a signature of slower adsorption kinetics. In addition to air-water interfaces, properties of these HGs have also been investigated at solid silica-solution surfaces by optical reflectometry. These surfaces were either naturally hydrophilic or rendered hydrophobic by chemical modification. On either surface the maximum amount of adsorbed surfactant was found to increase when the polyoxyethylene chain length decreases.     

The effect of pretreatment of calcite dispersions with anionic sodium polyacrylate on their flocculation behavior induced by cationic starch

The flocculation performance of cationic starches on calcite pretreated with anionic sodium polyacrylate (NaPA) was investigated by measuring the mean particle size and the dynamic mobility of the calcite dispersions. Cationic starches of different molecular weight and degree of substitution were used. By varying the amount of anionic sodium polyacrylate, which has a strong affinity to the calcium carbonate surface, one is able to anionically modify the particles and reverse the charge character of the originally cationic calcium carbonate. By such modification of the charge character of the calcium carbonate dispersion, it is possible to approach the mechanisms of flocculation caused by cationic macromolecules like starch. The importance of different mechanisms of flocculation, such as bridging, charge neutralization, and flocculation induced by polyelectrolyte complexes (PEC), was further investigated in this work. It was found that when the NaPA is completely absorbed at the calcite surfaces the mechanism of the flocculation induced by the starch is mainly bridging flocculation. Excess NaPA in the calcium carbonate dispersion will result in polyelectrolyte complexes formed between the non-absorbed NaPA and the oppositely charged starch polymers. These complexes will in most cases strongly enhance the flocculation due to mainly charge neutralization. Depending on the ratio of non-absorbed NaPA and the starch in the aqueous phase, the calcite dispersion is either re-stabilized or more strongly flocculated due to the formed polyelectrolyte complexes. Both the mobility and the particle size measurements support the mechanisms described. It was further demonstrated that the molecular weight and degree of substitution of the starches might be adjusted to control the flocculation behavior.     

Foam, emulsion and wetting films stabilized by polyoxyalkylated diethylenetriamine (DETA) polymeric surfactants

This review explores three (A, B, C) polyoxyalkylated diethylenetriamine (DETA) polymeric surfactants belonging to the group of star-like polymers. They have a similar structure, differing only in the number of polymeric branches (4, 6 and 9 in the mentioned order). The differences in these surfactants' ability to stabilize foam, o/w/o and w/o/w emulsion and wetting films are evaluated by a number of methods summarized in Section 2. Results from the studies indicate that differences in polymeric surfactants' molecular structure affect the properties exhibited at air/water, oil/water and water/solid interfaces, such as the value of surface tension, interfacial tension, critical micelle concentration, degree of hydrophobicity of solid surface, etc. Foam, emulsion and wetting films stabilized by such surfactants also show different behavior regarding some specific parameters, such as critical electrolyte concentration, surfactant concentration for obtaining a stable film, film thickness value, etc. These observations give reasons to believe that model studies can support a comprehensive understanding of how the change in polymeric surfactant structure can impact thin liquid films properties. This may enable a targeted design of the macromolecular architecture depending on the polymeric surfactants application purpose.     

Effect of Neck Formation on the Measurement of Dynamic Interfacial Tension in a Drop Volume Tensiometer

Dynamic interfacial tension values obtained by drop volume tensiometry will be affected under certain experimental conditions by the formation of a neck between the drop and the capillary tip. This phenomenon must be accounted for to obtain accurate values of interfacial tension. In this work, neck formation for a water–mineral oil system is studied under conditions where hydrodynamic effects can be neglected. A model originally developed for the determination of the surface tension of a suspended drop is modified for application to dynamic interfacial tensions of surfactant-containing liquids. The model relates apparent values of interfacial tension calculated from drops possessing necks to actual values. Experiments with Span 80 (sorbitan monooleate) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) surfactants in a mineral oil–water system are used to test the validity of the developed model. For the small tip diameter used, good agreement is obtained for Span 80 up to the critical micelle concentration, and for low concentrations of SDS, when the surfactant adsorption is diffusion-limited. In both cases, the neck diameter of the growing drop can be considered constant over the range of dynamic interfacial tensions tested.     

同步荧光光谱法测定十二烷基苯磺酸钠的临界胶束浓度

采用表面张力、电导率、紫外可见吸收光谱、恒波长同步荧光光谱法分析了典型阴离子表面活性剂十二烷基苯磺酸钠在水溶液中的临界胶束浓度（CMC）。 结果表明,同步荧光光谱法测定CMC时的样品用量少,检测灵敏度高,具有较高的准确性;测定的十二烷基苯磺酸钠的第一临界胶束浓度和第二临界胶束浓度分别为1.48和6.90 mmol/L,与传统的表面张力法和电导率法的测定结果一致。 验证了同步荧光光谱法测定表面活性剂CMC的可靠性。     

Determination of interfacial tension from crystallization and dissolution data: a comparison with other methods

Methods for the determination of interfacial tension between a solid and a liquid are reviewed including solubility/particle size, crystallization and dissolution kinetics. The use of solubility as a function of particle size, originally put forward by Ostwald and later corrected by Freundlich, may be unjustified for determining interfacial tension at solid-liquid interfaces. The interfacial tension values between solutions and sparingly soluble minerals such as hydroxyapatite, fluorapatite, brushite, octacalcium phosphate, calcium oxalate monohydrate, barium sulfate, calcium sulfate, calcite, and divalent metal fluorides are discussed. A comparison of these results is made with contact angle or wetting measurements. The interfacial tension values obtained from constant composition reaction kinetics are of the same order of magnitude as those determined using a contact angle method involving thin layer wicking techniques.     

Controllable preparation of monodisperse O/W and W/O emulsions in the same microfluidic device

This letter presents a simple way to prepare monodisperse O/W and W/O emulsions in the same T-junction microfluidic device just by changing the wetting properties of the microchannel wall with different surfactants. Highly uniform droplets ranging from 50 to 400 mum with a polydispersity index (sigma) value of less than 2% were successfully prepared. With the change in surfactants and surfactant concentrations, the interfacial tension and the wetting properties varied, and disordered or ordered two-phase flow patterns could be controllable. Monodisperse O/W and W/O emulsions were prepared under the action of a cross-flowing shear force or a perpendicular shear force by using an oil solution with 0.1-2.0 wt % Span 80 and an aqueous solution with 0.1-2.0 wt % Tween 20 as a continuous-phase flow, respectively. It gives a controllable method of preparing O/W and W/O emulsions in the same microfluidic device.