New technology and science in flotation separations

The use of xanthates for the flotation of sulfide minerals continues to be the subject of much research, with particular reference to selectivity in complex systems. New reagents, usually thio-compounds, continue to be proposed and investigated. The depression of silicate minerals with natural gums has been further elucidated. Features of much of the work on collection, activation and depression are the use of advanced methods of examination of surfaces in aqueous systems, and the use of atomic force microscopy and other methods of studying the interactions between surfaces. Progress is also being made on the physical aspects of flotation processes, including particle collection by bubbles in the liquid phase, and transport phenomena in the froth. New methods of activating the surfaces of minerals for flotation — by physical removal of adsorbed layers, by high-intensity conditioning, and by creating microbubbles on the surface of particles — have evolved.