Flotation in non-aqueous medium
Abstract
In this paper is shown a practical possibility to perform flotation in a non-aqueous medium (petroleum, xylol, benzol), wherewith it is pointed out that a series of flotation phenomena, as compared with flotation in water, go in a quite contrary direction. Thus, hydrophilic minerals, as sodium chloride, quartz, are floated well, but the more hydrophobic pyrite can’t be floated. It has also been found that usually employed collecting reagents are unfit for flotation in non-aqueous medium. In the present experiments have been employed alcohols of the saturated series as collecting reagents, other collectors having not been found. It is stated that the quantity of alcohols necessary for the experiment is very great and that the consumption of them depends on the magnitude of the radical of the alcohol molecule and on the degree of humidity of the alcohol. As to other factors – character of froth-formation, influence of pulp density, time of agitation, etc. – there exists an analogy with flotation in aqueous medium.
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