The determination of floatability distribution from laboratory batch cell tests

•Determines the distribution of flotation rates from batch froth flotation tests.•Regularisation techniques and repeat tests are needed to get credible answers.•First method uses a continuous distribution based on Laguerre polynomials.•Second method uses closely spaced discrete rates.•Both methods gave qualitatively similar rate distributions.

The determination of the floatability distribution for froth flotation from laboratory batch cell tests is ill conditioned. Tikhonov regularisation with accuracy estimates, such as repeat tests for the recovery data, provides a way to produce solutions. Two approaches are examined: a continuous approximation of the distribution using Laguerre polynomials, and using finely spaced discrete components. It is shown that for data generated with a known floatability distribution, the distribution can be recovered. For experimental data from the literature both methods give similar floatability distributions. The accuracy of the calculated floatability distributions is estimated. Repeat data is important in determining the regularisation parameter and thus insuring the data is not over fitted or over smoothed.

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