DOI: 10.18503/1995-2732-2025-23-1-5-16
Abstract
Problem Statement (Relevance). Gold in currently processed ores is associated with minerals, the size of which is refractory for effective extraction by flotation - fine fractions. Only in the presence of technologies for their effective extraction mineral raw materials of such quality acquire license and investment attractiveness for subsoil users and investors. Objectives. Scientific justification and development of technology for enrichment of gold-bearing ores on the basis of new method application of the scheme construction and mode of ores flotation, providing high extraction of fine fractions of gold. Methods Applied. The method and unit for measuring the wetting edge angle on the artificially composed mixture of minerals at different proportion of hydrophobizated nugget gold in it and temperature are developed. A method of flotation scheme construction was developed, in which countercurrent movement of initial feed and rough concentrate is used to increase the gold content in the main flotation operation. To complement the surface forces of structural origin forces involved in the selective separation of fine minerals in the separation of the rough concentrate, a mixture of air and hot water vapor is used as the gas phase. Originality. It is proved that one of the reasons for the efficiency of the developed method of flotation scheme construction is the growth of the wetting edge angle, and the mode of pulp aeration by steam-air mixture is the change of the parameter sign of structural forces and linear tension with the growth of water temperature in the boundary layers of bubbles. Result. From the results of field experiments on flotation of gold-bearing ores it follows that the use of the developed technology allows to obtain an increase in gold extraction from 80.71 to 88.70 % with an increase in concentrate quality from 65.09 to 100.3 g/t Au due to a decrease in concentrate yield by 30.1 % rel. From the results of sedimentometric analysis it follows that when using the developed technology the increase in gold extraction is a consequence of reduction of losses with tailings of small and fine fractions of metal. Practical Relevance. The developed method of measuring the boundary angles on the mixture of minerals can be used in research practice. Based on the established physical regularities, the developed method of flotation scheme construction and pulp aeration mode are effective (do not have any limitations) in the enrichment of almost any type of ores with a high content of small and fine fractions of valuable component.
Keywords
surface forces, edge angle, linear tension, structural forces parameter, gold ore, flotation, indicators
For citation
Evdokimov S.I., Gerasimenko T.E., Gorlova O.E., Orekhova N.N. Investigation of the Influence of Long-range Surface Forces and Linear Tension on Edge Wetting Angles During Flotation. Vestnik Magnitogorskogo Gosudarstvennogo Tekhnicheskogo Universiteta im. G.I. Nosova [Vestnik of Nosov Magnitogorsk State Technical University]. 2025, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 5-16. https://doi.org/10.18503/1995-2732-2025-23-1-5-16
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