Mineral beneficiation by ionic microbubble in continuous plant prototype: Efficiency and its analysis by kinetic model

• Plant prototype for mineral beneficiation by ionic microbubble flotation.
• Efficiency of fine particle separation by ionic microbubbles flotation.
• The influence of physicochemical properties on fine particle separation.
• Interpretation of separation efficiency by development of model.

Microbubbles are miniature gas bubbles of less than 100 μm diameter in liquid. The performance of ionic microbubble for fine particle separation is investigated and reported in the paper. The effects of different operating variables and physicochemical properties of liquid on the separation characteristics of ionic microbubble are enunciated. A phenomenological kinetic model based on collision, attachment and detachment mechanisms of fine particle is developed to analyze the flotation characteristics of the ionic microbubbles. Generalized correlations for flotation rate constant and induction time are also developed based on the physicochemical properties of microbubble–particle mixture. It is concluded that ionic microbubble is highly efficient for removal of fine particles of opposite charge. The findings from this research may be helpful to understand and explain the process better and possibly can be used to modify and improve the microbubble aided flotation process.

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