FLOTATION

Flotation Cell or Unit

= equipment where the material is separated or
floated from the tailings
= components:
a. Tank or vessel = where feed is added
b. Overflow = for froth removal
c. Discharge = for tailings
d. Provision for introduction of air
= for froth formation and agitation

Flow diagram of a typical Flotation Process

Feed
Flow diagram of a typical Flotation Process
Feed

Mill Classifier Conditioner

Rougher
Scavenger

Cleaner
Final Tailings
or Waste
Final Concentrate
1. Ball Mill or Crusher
= particles larger than mesh 20 are crushed to
desired particle size
= size range for suitable flotation process:
mesh 200 to mesh 20
= if particle is too big, the air bubbles would not
be able to support the solid in the froth
2. Vibrating Screens or Classifiers
= particle sizes are controlled prior to
conditioning
3. Conditioner
 conditioning
3. Conditioner
= solid to be floated is coated with filming
reagents
= applied to ball mill or crusher when screening
is not needed
4. Rougher
= where the initial or rough separation by
flotation is done

5. Scavenger
= desired material is further removed from the
undesired material or tailings
6. Cleaner or Finisher
= the concentrate is further freed from the
tailings

NOTE:
The first three operations are strictly not
considered as flotation cells but they are needed
for pre-treatment of the feed before flotation
process

Types of Flotation Cells

1. Pneumatic Cells
 for pre-treatment of the feed before flotation
process

Types of Flotation Cells

1. Pneumatic Cells
= depends upon compressed air for mild
agitation
= produces a clean froth but needs 50% more
contact time and pulp must be fully conditioned
before flotation
= examples:
a. Callow cell
= contains horizontal blankets (several
layers of cloth fastened to frames)
= examples:
a. Callow cell
= contains horizontal blankets (several
layers of cloth fastened to frames)
where the compressed air pass through
= needs special care when cleaning the
blankets to prevent tearing of cloth
= used for solids that are easily floated without
great agitation
b. Callow-MacIntosh cell
= air pass through by means of a perforated
rotor made from steel tube and covered with
either perforated rubber or cloth
b. Callow-MacIntosh cell
= air pass through by means of a perforated
rotor made from steel tube and covered with
either perforated rubber or cloth
= cloth does not blind easily due to rotation of
the tube

c. Air-lift cell
= does not employ a blanket and is free from
moving parts
= compressed air pass through a tube connected
outside of the cell and opens about 6 in from
the bottom of the cell
 = compressed air pass through a tube connected
outside of the cell and opens about 6 in from
the bottom of the cell
2. Mechanical Cells
= a mechanical agitator draws in air and beats it
into the pulp
= agitation is more violent
= tailings are more or less free from the desired
material in the concentrate
Table 19. Power Requirements of Low Pressure
Blowers (Brown, 1950)
Air Delivered, Approximate Horsepower at Pressure of
cfm 2 psi 3psi 4 psi 5 psi
500 6 9.5 13.5 17.5
1000 12 18.5 26 33
2000 24 38 54 70
3000 34 57 76 96
4000 46 76 105 135
5000 58 91 125 160
6000 70 120 168 220
7000 83 135 190 245
8000 96 165 225 310
Flotation Reagents
= allow separation of the desired solid from the
undesired ones by making desired materials attach
to the air bubbles
1. Collectors and Promoters
= reagents adsorbed on the surface of the solid
as very thin films
= increase floating ability by increasing the
forces binding the solid to the air bubble
= 0.05 – 0.15 lb/ton of solid is usually used
= examples: Petroleum, Kerosene

NOTE:
 = examples: Petroleum, Kerosene

NOTE:
Promoter = forms films one molecule thick
Collector = forms films several molecules
thick

2. Frothing Agents
= prevent coalescence of air bubbles when they
reach the surface of the water to maintain a
persistent froth
= soluble in water without appreciable
ionization
 2. Frothing Agents
= prevent coalescence of air bubbles when they
reach the surface of the water to maintain a
persistent froth
= soluble in water without appreciable
ionization
= adsorbed in the interface between water and
air to reduce the surface tension of water
= 0.05 – 0.3 lb/ton solids is added
= examples: Pine oil, 5-8-carbon aliphatic
alcohols
3. Modifying agents
 alcohols
3. Modifying agents
= react with the surface of the solid (either by
chemical action or adsorption) to change the
character of the solid’s surface
= Kinds:
a. Activators
= make a mineral surface amenable to
collector coating
b. Alkalinity regulators
= control or adjust pH which affects the
ease of filming
c. Depressants
 b. Alkalinity regulators
= control or adjust pH which affects the
ease of filming
c.c.Dispersants
Depressants
= control slimes which sometimes
interfere with selectivity and increase
reagent consumption
= examples: soda ash, lime, starch
M F1

C1 R1

S1

F2

R2
C2
S2

F3

C3 R3

S3
Approximate Power Requirements for
Mechanical Flotation Cells (Brown, 1950)

Size, cu.ft Horsepower Consumed per

Cell
Denver Fagergren
10 1
12 1.2 1.2-2.0
18 1.4
24 2.2 3.5-4.0
40 3.2 5
50 4.2 6
70 8
100 9
Common Given Data:

1.Densities of all the minerals

2.Pulp density of the material in the
flotation cell, expressed either as the
volume fraction of solid, or as L/S, the
water-to-solid ratio by weight
3.The composition of the feed and of the
products
4.The reagents and quantities of
reagents to be used, determined by
experiment in each individual problem
Common Given Data:

5. The contact time, usually expressed

as the average time in minutes that the
pulp is in the flotation cell
6. The type of the flotation cell,
mechanical or pneumatic, in which the
laboratory test was conducted
7. The desired capacity, usually
expressed in tons/h or tons/24-hr
8. The type of flotation equipment to be
used
Common Computed Data:

1. The capacity of the cell banks

2. If pneumatic, the amount of
compressed air and the hp for the
compressor
3. If mechanical, the hp of the motor
Sample Problem:

It is desired to recover lead from an ore

containing 10% lead sulfide and the
balance assumed to be silica, 500 tons
of ore being treated per 24-hr day. It is
assumed that the concentrate from the
single cell is of acceptable purity but the
tailings are to be retreated in scavenger
cells with return of scavenger
concentrate to the rougher.
Sample Problem:

Laboratory findings indicate that if water-

to-solids ratio L/S=2, and the contact
time is 8mins in the rougher, and L/S=4
for 15mins in scavenger, with
mechanically agitated machines of the
Denver type, the following compositions
will be found for the various products:
Sample Problem:

PbS SiO2
Feed, a 10% 90%
Conc, b 80 20
Rougher tailings, c 2 98
Scavenger conc, d 11 89
Final tailings, e 0.5 99.5

The densities of PbS and SiO2 are

7.5g/cc and 2.65g/cc, respectively.
Sample Problem:

Compute:
1. All bulk densities
2. Mass of products
3. Tank volumes
4. Number of cells