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Selected Papers from “The 2nd International Conference of Young Scholars in Mineral Processing”

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A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2018) | Viewed by 41716

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Prof. Dr. Zhiyong Gao

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Guest Editor

School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Interests: flotation of oxide minerals; mineral crystal chemistry; flotation reagent molecular design; mineral/reagent/water interfacial science; waste treatment in minerals processing
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Prof. Dr. Przemyslaw B. Kowalczuk

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Department of Geoscience and Petroleum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, S.P. Andersens veg 15a, 7031 Trondheim, Norway
Interests: mineral processing; minerals engineering; flotation; physicochemistry of surfaces; colloids systems; hydrophobicity; minerals; surface properties; extractive metallurgy; leaching
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global mineral processing community faces significant challenges, ranging from technological to environmental and economic issues. The mineral processing community has confronted and solved such challenges over the centuries and has thereby delivered important contributions to the clean and efficient use of our mineral resources. This Special Issue aims to collect high quality research papers, short communications, and review articles that focus on a wide range of topics concerning mineral processing. The Special Issue will publish selected papers from the 2^nd International Conference of Young Scholars in Mineral Processing, 21–23 August, 2017, in Changchun, China. The key objective of the 2^nd International Conference of Young Scholars in Mineral Processing is to share the latest developments in mineral processing activities, developments, and research in China and beyond. We invite professionals from the mineral processing industry and practitioners, people from research institutions, as well as academic scholars and researchers to attend this conference. We are cordially inviting you to join us at the conference and also to submit your manuscript to this Special Issue.

Dr. Zhiyong Gao
Prof. Dr. Przemyslaw B. Kowalczuk
Guest Editors

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

Technological mineralogy
Comminution & classification
Physical enrichment—gravity, magnetic and electrostatic separation
Surface chemistry, flotation fundamentals, flotation reagents, flotation technology
Processing of fines and slimes
Hydro- and bio-hydrometallurgy
Environmental problems and recycling of mineral-containing waste products
Process modeling
Pillarization, agglomeration and sintering
Dewatering

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 10504 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Grinding Optimization of Cassiterite-Polymetallic Sulfide Ore

by Jinlin Yang, Zhichao Shuai, Wentao Zhou and Shaojian Ma

Minerals 2019, 9(2), 134; https://doi.org/10.3390/min9020134 - 25 Feb 2019

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4073

Abstract

Due to the differences in beneficiation methods and mineral properties between cassiterite ore and polymetallic sulfide ore, there is an inherent contradiction between cassiterite overgrinding and sulfide ore undergrinding. A method to optimize and characterize the grinding performance is presented in this paper. In this method, the grinding characteristics are defined by the qualified particle size range index under unit energy consumption. By changing the grinding time, grinding concentration, and filling ratio, the optimized grinding conditions were evaluated, and they were predicted and verified by the response surface method. The results corroborate that when the grinding time of cassiterite is 4 min and the grinding time of sulfide ore is 8 min, the grinding qualified size range index under unit energy consumption is the largest. Cassiterite is brittle and easy to grind due to low hardness, while sulfide is difficult to grind due to high hardness. Hence, the time to beneficiate tin ore is when the grinding time is 4 min, and that to beneficiate sulfide ore is when the regrinding time is approximately 4 min. In this way, the contradiction between overgrinding cassiterite and undergrinding sulfide ore can be alleviated on the basis of the most effective utilization of grinding energy. The optimal grinding concentration and filling ratio are 65% and 37%, respectively. The response surface prediction and test results are almost identical, with an error of ±2%. Thus, the effectiveness of grinding characterization method is verified. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from “The 2nd International Conference of Young Scholars in Mineral Processing”)

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17 pages, 9889 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hydrodynamic and Flotation Kinetic Analysis of a Large Scale Mechanical Agitated Flotation Cell with the Typical Impeller and the Arc Impeller

by Zhengchang Shen, Ming Zhang, Xuesai Fan, Shuaixing Shi and Dengfeng Han

Minerals 2019, 9(2), 79; https://doi.org/10.3390/min9020079 - 29 Jan 2019

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 5119

Abstract

The processing of low grade mineral ores using large scale flotation cells is obviously more advantageous than smaller-scale processing. Large-scale flotation cells have become increasingly important for effective volume scale-up. In this study, the latest and largest flotation cell in China, with an effective volume of 680 m³, is considered. Hydrodynamics and flotation kinetics analyses are conducted using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. It is demonstrated that the flotation cell with a typical impeller produces suitable hydrodynamics for mineral particles based on analysis of the flow pattern, gas dispersion and solid suspension. The performance of the large-scale flotation cell is studied using hydrodynamic performance parameters. The variation of the performance parameters, such as the power number (N_p), the Froude number (F_r), the air flow number (N_a), and so on, with the flotation cell volumes, followed trends similar to that of previous cells of a different size, which were proven to be effective for engineering applications. To decrease the detachment of mineral particles, a new type of impeller, for which the impeller plate is a hyperbolic curve, viz. an arc impeller, was developed. Compared with the typical impeller, the arc impeller expands and lifts the low circulating flow, thereby shortening the transportation distance of the mineral particles. The data indicates that kinetic eddy dissipation plays a key role in determining the collision kernel and collision probability profile. The newly designed arc impeller leads to a higher collision probability than the typical impeller, resulting in better flotation performance. This research should aid in the optimization of the structure of the 680 m³ flotation cell. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from “The 2nd International Conference of Young Scholars in Mineral Processing”)

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14 pages, 6194 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Breakage Characterization of Grinding Media Based on Energy Consumption and Particle Size Distribution: Hexagons versus Cylpebs

by Caibin Wu, Ningning Liao, Guiming Shi and Liangliang Zhu

Minerals 2018, 8(11), 527; https://doi.org/10.3390/min8110527 - 13 Nov 2018

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4254

Abstract

The grinding performance of hexagon grinding media particles has been compared with that of cylpebs grinding media particles. A batch grinding test was conducted using equal masses of hexagons and cylpebs. The particle size distribution and energy consumption during grinding of the ground product were analyzed, and the relationships among the specific surface area, bulk density, energy consumption, and t₁₀ value are discussed. Under the same grinding conditions, the grinding capacity of hexagons was inferior to that of cylpebs. However, as the particle size of the feed became finer, the grinding effect of hexagons became more apparent. At the same time, the qualified particles content in the ground product was higher when using hexagons than when using cylpebs. The relationship between the specific surface area and energy consumption during grinding was consistent with the regular pattern of grinding fineness and energy consumption. In addition, the bulk density of minerals decreases with an increase in grinding energy. The same conclusion was obtained when −0.425 mm tungsten ore was used as a sample for validation. The flotation experiment result has carried out that hexagons as grinding media have a better flotation indicator than cylpebs in the same grinding fineness. It is demonstrated that although the grinding capacity of hexagons is inferior to that of cylpebs, less overgrinding occurs when using hexagons than when using cylpebs. For tungsten ore grinding, hexagons act as a finer grinding media than cylpebs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from “The 2nd International Conference of Young Scholars in Mineral Processing”)

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12 pages, 1827 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A New Concept on High-Calcium Flotation Wastewater Reuse

by He Wan, Juanping Qu, Tingshu He, Xianzhong Bu, Wei Yang and Hui Li

Minerals 2018, 8(11), 496; https://doi.org/10.3390/min8110496 - 1 Nov 2018

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2514

Abstract

Calcium ions are a kind of unavoidable ions in water. It has the deleterious effect on molybdenite flotation. High-calcium flotation wastewater (HCFW) was reused for flotation circuits after the pretreatment removing Ca²⁺ in from HCFW. The high cost of wastewater treatment limits HCFW reuse. In this paper, an efficient, innovative, low-cost and environmental-friendly flotation wastewater reuse technology was introduced. XLM, as a composite collector for molybdenite, is a mixture of diesel oil (DO) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). It could reduce the deleterious effects of Ca²⁺ on the flotation of molybdenite in HCFW. Therefore, this was used to replace the pretreatment removing Ca²⁺ in from high Ca²⁺ wastewater and saved the cost of wastewater treatment. When XLM consists of 4 wt % PAHs and 96 wt % DO, it has better adaptability than DO in the different Ca²⁺ concentration of flotation water. The contact angle measurements indicated that PAHs, as a synergistic component of a composite collector, could adsorb on the edges of molybdenite in the presence of Ca²⁺ by forming PAHs-Ca²⁺-MoO₄²⁻ structure to increase the contact angle of fine molybdenite particle and reduce the deleterious effects of Ca²⁺ on the flotation of molybdenite. The industrial-scale test further that demonstrated XLM can improve the molybdenite roughing recovery and grade by 1.8% and 3.46% compared with DO as the collector in high Ca²⁺ flotation wastewater. It is feasible and effective to replace high-cost wastewater treatment for molybdenum plants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from “The 2nd International Conference of Young Scholars in Mineral Processing”)

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15 pages, 3090 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Degradation of Thiol Collectors Using Ozone at a Low Dosage: Kinetics, Mineralization, Ozone Utilization, and Changes of Biodegradability and Water Quality Parameters

by Pingfeng Fu, Xiaofeng Lin, Gen Li, Zihao Chen and Hua Peng

Minerals 2018, 8(11), 477; https://doi.org/10.3390/min8110477 - 24 Oct 2018

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3389

Abstract

Ozonation at a high O₃ dosage can achieve high efficiencies in removing flotation reagents but it has a low ozone-utilization rate. The ozonation of potentially toxic thiol collectors (potassium ethyl xanthate (EX), sodium diethyl dithiocarbamate (SN-9), O-isopropyl-N-ethyl thionocarbamate (Z-200) and dianilino dithiophoshoric acid (DDA)) was investigated in an ozone-bubbled reactor at a low O₃ dosage of 1.125 mg/(min·L). The degradation kinetics, mineralization, ozone utilization, changes of biodegradability, and water quality parameters were studied, and the degradation behaviors of four collectors were compared. Thiol collectors could be effectively degraded with a removal ratio of >90% and a mineralization ratio of 10‒27%, at a low O₃ dosage. The ozonation of thiol collectors followed the pseudo first-order kinetics, and rate constants had the order of k_SN-9 > k_EX > k_Z-200 > k_DDA. The Z-200 and DDA were the refractory flotation reagents treated in the ozonation process. After ozonation, the biodegradability of EX, SN-9, and DDA solutions was remarkably raised, but the biodegradability of Z-200 only increased from 0.088 to 0.15, indicating that the Z-200 and its intermediates were biologically persistent organics. After ozonation, the solution pH decreased from 10.0 to 8.0‒9.0, and both the conductivity and oxidation-reduction potential increased. The ozone utilization ratio in decomposing thiol collectors was above 98.41%, revealing almost complete usage of input O₃. The results revealed that thiol collectors could be effectively degraded by O₃, even at a low dosage, but their degradation behaviors were quite different, due to intrinsic molecular properties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from “The 2nd International Conference of Young Scholars in Mineral Processing”)

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10 pages, 1322 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synchrotron Radiation XRD Investigation of the Fine Phase Transformation during Synthetic Chalcocite Acidic Ferric Sulfate Leaching

by Chaojun Fang, Shichao Yu, Xingxing Wang, Hongbo Zhao, Wenqing Qin, Guanzhou Qiu and Jun Wang

Minerals 2018, 8(10), 461; https://doi.org/10.3390/min8100461 - 17 Oct 2018

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4716

Abstract

The fine phase transformation process of chalcocite (Cu₂S) leaching in acidic ferric sulfate solution was studied by leaching experiments and synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction (SRXRD) tests. The results showed that the dissolution process of chalcocite was divided into two stages. In the first stage, Cu₂S was firstly transformed to Cu₅FeS₄ and Cu_2−xS, then the galvanic effect between Cu₅FeS₄ and Cu_2−xS accelerated the dissolution process of Cu_1.8S → Cu_1.6S → CuS, and finally Cu₅FeS₄ was also transformed to CuS. While in the second stage, CuS was transformed to elemental sulfur, which formed the passivation layer and inhibited the leaching of chalcocite. Specifically, Cu₅FeS₄ was detected during the chalcocite leaching process by SRXRD for the first time. This research is helpful for revealing the detailed leaching process of chalcocite. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from “The 2nd International Conference of Young Scholars in Mineral Processing”)

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14 pages, 2493 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Adsorption Structure and Mechanism of Styryl Phosphoric Acid at the Rutile–Water Interface

by Wei Xiao, Fen Jiao, Hongbo Zhao, Wenqing Qin, Guanzhou Qiu and Jun Wang

Minerals 2018, 8(8), 360; https://doi.org/10.3390/min8080360 - 20 Aug 2018

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3994

Abstract

The microstructure and mechanism of styryl phosphoric acid (SPA) adsorbed at the rutile–water interface were investigated through zeta potential measurement, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry (UV-Vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results of the zeta potential measurement illustrate that SPA is mainly electrostatically adsorbed on the rutile surface, and the adsorption process and result can be well fitted by the Stern-Grahame equation. The adsorption is severely affected by pH due to different species of SPA occurring in different pH solutions. The compound of P–O–Ti, with a structure of bidentate binuclear or bidentate mononuclear complexes, is formed after SPA is adsorbed on the rutile surface. SPA can be adsorbed on the rutile surface through the coordination of self-polymerization and bidentate mononuclear, which greatly increases the hydrophobicity of the rutile surface. Based on the above analysis and discussion, we proposed the adsorption model of SPA at the rutile–water interface, which was conducive to the modification and synthesis of a highly efficient flotation collector of the primary rutile ore. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from “The 2nd International Conference of Young Scholars in Mineral Processing”)

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7 pages, 905 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Reverse Flotation Separation of Fluorite from Calcite: A Novel Reagent Scheme

by Jianjun Wang, Zihan Zhou, Yuesheng Gao, Wei Sun, Yuehua Hu and Zhiyong Gao

Minerals 2018, 8(8), 313; https://doi.org/10.3390/min8080313 - 26 Jul 2018

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 5323

Abstract

Fluorite (CaF₂), as an important strategic mineral source, is usually separated from calcite by the common froth flotation method, but this separation is still not selective enough. The development of a selective collector and/or depressant is the key to achieving high selective separation. 1-Hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid (HEDP or H₄L) is widely used as an environmentally friendly water treatment reagent due to its low cost and excellent anti-scaling performance in an aqueous solution. In this study, a novel reagent scheme was developed using HEDP as a fluorite depressant and sodium oleate (NaOL) as a calcite collector for the first time. When 3 × 10⁻⁵ mol/L of HEDP and 6 × 10⁻⁵ mol/L of NaOL were used at pH 6, the optimal selective separation for single minerals and mixed binary minerals was obtained. Zeta potential measurements indicated that HEDP possessed a stronger adsorption on fluorite than calcite, while NaOL did the opposite. This novel reagent scheme is of low cost, uses a small dosage, and is friendly to the environment, which makes it a promising reagent scheme for fluorite flotation in industrial application. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from “The 2nd International Conference of Young Scholars in Mineral Processing”)

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7 pages, 2306 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Adsorption Mechanism of Pb²⁺ Activator for the Flotation of Rutile

by Wei Xiao, Hongbo Zhao, Wenqing Qin, Guanzhou Qiu and Jun Wang

Minerals 2018, 8(7), 266; https://doi.org/10.3390/min8070266 - 25 Jun 2018

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3203

Abstract

In general, the flotation of minerals containing titanium needs to be activated by metal ions due to a lack of activating sites on their surface. However, the activating process is indirectly inferred due to the lack of direct experimental observation. In this study, atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to observe the activation process. The results revealed that the hydroxyl compounds of Pb²⁺ ions were adsorbed on the rutile surface in the form of multiple molecular associates, rather than through single molecule adsorption. Styryl phosphoric acid (SPA) could largely be adsorbed on the activated rutile surface with a single and double layer rather than on the un-activated rutile surface. The results of contact angle measurements also revealed that the hydrophobicity of the activated rutile surface was significantly greater than that of the un-activated rutile surface after SPA was adsorbed. This study will be helpful to understanding the activating process from the microscale. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from “The 2nd International Conference of Young Scholars in Mineral Processing”)

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10 pages, 3094 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Different Flotation Performance of Ultrafine Scheelite under Two Hydrodynamic Cavitation Modes

by Weiguang Zhou, Leming Ou, Qing Shi, Qiming Feng and Hao Chen

Minerals 2018, 8(7), 264; https://doi.org/10.3390/min8070264 - 23 Jun 2018

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 3587

Abstract

In industrial practice, hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) is commonly triggered by jetting either reagent solution or pulp. Although both methods can enhance mineral flotation, are their roles the same? There are few research studies in the field, which severely limits our understanding on mineral flotation combined with HC. Therefore, in this study, the flotation of ultrafine scheelite with HC pretreatments of reagent solution and pulp (abbreviated to be HCPS and HCPP, respectively) was studied and compared through flotation tests, zeta potential analysis, microscope tests, and shear yield stress measurements. The results of flotation tests show that both HCPS and HCPP can enhance the final flotation performance, but in general, HCPP leads to greater improvements on the final flotation recovery. The presence of (hydrophobized) scheelite particles brings extra gas nuclei for the cavitation–flotation system, suggesting that more NBs may be produced in the case of HCPP compared with HCPS. These tiny bubbles remarkably reduce the size distribution of bubbles in the flotation system, thus increasing the particle–bubbles collision probability. Increase in particle aggregation may be another reason why flotation with HCPP results in a higher flotation recovery. The adherence of NBs on hydrophobized particles decreases the (absolute) surface charge of the solids, resulting in a smaller repulsive force among particles and more significant particle aggregation, which is confirmed by the microscope tests and shear yield stress measurements. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from “The 2nd International Conference of Young Scholars in Mineral Processing”)

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