Influence of particle size and contact angle on the flotation of chalcopyrite in a laboratory batch flotation cell

Benchmarking flotation performance: Single minerals

“…Concentrates from this stage were screened into nine size fractions, filtered, dried, stored in sealed bottles, and used as the feed to subsequent experiments. The chemical composition of the chalcopyrite size fractions have been reported previously (Muganda et al, 2011).…”

“…In that work, it was demonstrated that when chalcopyrite particles of the same narrow size fraction exhibit the same advancing contact angle (within a range no greater than 5°), the flotation response of the chalcopyrite particles, both in the absence and presence of amyl xanthate collector, was, within the determined experimental error of flotation, the same (Muganda et al, 2011). This study led to the generation of master curves (i.e., calibration curves) of rate constant and collection efficiency against particle size fraction for different contact angle ranges, based on the chalcopyrite-amyl xanthate system (Muganda et al, 2011). Empirical correlations between the advancing contact angle and both the undistributed rate constant and collection efficiency for each size fraction were derived.…”

“…In a previous paper (Muganda et al, 2011), the effect of particle size and contact angle on the flotation response of chalcopyrite under welldefined and constant hydrodynamic conditions and at 2% solids (w/w) was investigated. In that work, it was demonstrated that when chalcopyrite particles of the same narrow size fraction exhibit the same advancing contact angle (within a range no greater than 5°), the flotation response of the chalcopyrite particles, both in the absence and presence of amyl xanthate collector, was, within the determined experimental error of flotation, the same (Muganda et al, 2011).…”

“…In previous work, flotation characterisation of the chalcopyriteamyl xanthate system resulted in the development of calibration curves of the undistributed rate constant and collection efficiency versus particle size fraction for different advancing contact angle ranges (Muganda et al, 2011). Modelling of the maximum recovery was carried out, which resulted in the calculation of the critical advancing contact angle for stable bubble-particle attachment for each size fraction.…”

Floatability and Bubble Behavior in Seawater Flotation for the Recovering Copper Mineral

“…The concentration of the copper ore from porphyry copper ore was examined using N-propyl N-ethoxy carbonyl thiourea (PECTU) as a frother [2]. Muganda et al investigated the effect of particle diameter and contact angle on the flotation of chalcopyrite in a laboratory batch flotation cell [3]. The influence of different water quality on froth stability and valuable mineral recovery in the flotation of a borate salt ore was investigated by Peng and Bradshaw [4].…”