Packing of particles on the surface of bubbles

In this paper, geometrical packing models were derived to determine the coverage of particles on an air bubble. Nearly spherical glass beads of two size fractions and galena particles were used in the study. The coverage of air bubbles by glass beads was carried out in the concentration range 2.74 × 10−5–1.65 × 10−3 mM of CTAB. The results indicated that coverage at all concentrations could be approximated with a hexagonal model with monodispersed particles using the value of d[4,3]. This could be done with a relative deviation of the packing factor within 15%. The coverage of an air bubble by galena particles was carried out in a collectorless environment. The best models were found to be a hexagonal or square cell using the value of d[1,0]. Experimental observations on particle packing are given and implications for the froth phase of flotation are discussed.