MinFroth – Characterisation of froth in mineral flotation of sulphide ore

Purpose and goal
The objective of this pre-study is to provide and demonstrate an effective approach for characterisation of froth in mineral flotation. The approach focuses on using a portable dynamic foam analyzer, for froth characterisation of samples taken from different steps in the mineral flotation processes. For an increased understanding, the froth characterisation will be combined with analyses of different material fractions, e.g. analyses of particle size and chemistry, in order to increase the knowledge about froth formation in mineral flotation.

Structure and implementation
The work in the project will be conducted according to the following work packages (WP): WP1: Froth characterisation at RISE, a smaller study on a few froth samples from the Aitik concentrator. WP2: Froth characterisation at the Aitik concentrator, a larger study during one week. WP3: Additional analyses of samples from the Aitik week. WP4: Preliminarily a small froth characterisation study at RISE. WP5: Summarise the project results.

Expected results
In mineral flotation processes there is a need to better understand the mechanisms behind froth formation and froth stability. An approach for characterisation of froth in mineral flotation can show possibilities for more efficient optimisation of froth formation in different process steps, which can provide several industrial benefits, both environmental and economical. The focus here is on mineral flotation of sulphide ores, but note that the possibility to optimise froth formation in a more effective way is of general interest for mineral flotation of different type of ores.