This concentration process separates valuable minerals from barren gangue by exploiting differences in their surface properties. Finely ground ore is mixed with water and specialized chemical reagents that make the target mineral water-repellent. When air is pumped through the agitated slurry, the hydrophobic mineral particles attach to the rising bubbles and form a froth at the surface, which is then skimmed off for further processing.
Check the reagent feed rates on the rougher circuit, because our flotation recovery dropped three percent this shift.
Getting the grind size right is critical before this step; if the particles are too large, they fall off the bubbles, and if they are too fine, they consume excess reagents and ruin the froth stability.
Also heard as
- froth flotation
Related terms
Gangue
The commercially worthless rock or mineral matter mixed with valuable ore.
Concentrator
A facility or machine that separates valuable minerals from waste rock.
Beneficiate
To process raw mined ore to improve its grade by removing waste material.
Comminution
The mechanical process of reducing solid ore into smaller particles.