Enhancement of galena-potassium ethyl xanthate flotation system by low power ultrasound
(1. Department of Mining Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Buyukcekmece, Istanbul 34500, Turkey;
2. Department of Robotics and Intelligent Systems, The Institute of the Graduate Studies in Science and Engineering, Turkish-German University, Beykoz, Istanbul 34820, Turkey)
2. Department of Robotics and Intelligent Systems, The Institute of the Graduate Studies in Science and Engineering, Turkish-German University, Beykoz, Istanbul 34820, Turkey)
Abstract: The objective of this study is to investigate the improvement possibilities of the floatability of galena with ultrasonic application in the presence of potassium ethyl xanthate (KEX). For this purpose, micro-flotation experiments were carried out in addition to surface chemistry studies including zeta potential, contact angle, and bubble-particle attachment time measurements at various ultrasonic power levels and conditioning time. The results showed that, the maximum micro-flotation recovery of 77.5% was obtained with 30 W ultrasound power and 2 min conditioning time. In addition, more negative zeta potential values were obtained with ultrasound as well as higher contact angle and lower bubble-particle attachment time, which indicated the increased hydrophobicity of galena with ultrasound.
Key words: galena; potassium ethyl xanthate; flotation; ultrasound; bubble-particle attachment time