A Mini Review on Flotation Techniques and Reagents Used in Graphite Beneficiation

Abstract

Due to its numerous and major industrial uses, graphite is one of the significant carbon allotropes. Refractories and batteries are only a couple of the many uses for graphite. A growing market wants high-purity graphite with big flakes. Since there are fewer naturally occurring high-grade graphite ores, low-grade ores must be processed to increase their value to meet the rising demand, which is predicted to increase by >700% by 2025 due to the adoption of electric vehicles. Since graphite is inherently hydrophobic, flotation is frequently used to beneficiate low-grade ores. The pretreatment process, both conventional and unconventional; liberation/grinding methods; flotation methods like mechanical froth flotation, column flotation, ultrasound-assisted flotation, and electroflotation; and more emphasis on various flotation reagents are all covered in this review of beneficiation techniques. This review also focuses on the different types of flotation reagents that are used to separate graphite, such as conventional reagents and possible nonconventional environmentally friendly reagents.

A Review of Ultrasonic Treatment in Mineral Flotation: Mechanism and Recent Development

“…Factors such as the fine mineral size, water entrainment, slime coating, and surface oxidation may affect the efficiency of these processes, leading to flotation results that commonly do not meet industrial requirements [46][47][48]. To overcome these problems, ultrasonic technology has been studied for many years for its potential to improve flotation efficiency [49][50][51]. However, our basic understanding of how ultrasonic treatment affects flotation is still limited.…”

Numerical Simulation of Air–Water–Flake Graphite Triple-Phase Flow Field in a Homemade Double-Nozzle Jet Micro-Bubble Generator

“…However, the grade of the flake graphite ore is quite low, posing challenges to its direct utilization. To satisfy industrial manufacturing demands, flake graphite needs to be purified by multistage grinding and multistage flotation beneficiation processes [2][3][4], such as seven grinding, eight flotation, nine grinding, and ten flotation processes. These beneficiation processes can improve the grade of flake graphite; however, the process is long and complex, and it is straightforward to damage the graphite structure on large scales.…”

Effects of Sec-Octanol and Terpineol on Froth Properties and Flotation Selectivity Index for Microcrystalline Graphite

“…The United States has also categorized graphite as a "crisis mineral". In addition, graphite is considered indispensable to the development of new energy vehicles worldwide [3]. Graphite consumption has increased significantly due to the rapid advancement of emerging industries that utilize graphite as a primary resource, escalating from 599.4 thousand tons in 2012 to 1125.8 thousand tons in 2022.…”