Minerals Engineering最新文献

{"title":"Microbially-induced calcite precipitation in heterogeneous co-disposed coal waste systems","authors":"I. Hajee,&nbsp;S.T.L. Harrison,&nbsp;A. Kotsiopoulos","doi":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109530","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109530","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Acid rock drainage (ARD) is the acidic leachate obtained from weathered mine or mineral waste, caused by the oxidation of sulfide minerals by oxygen and water. Limiting the access of oxidants to the sulfide-containing mineral is paramount to prevent the oxidation reactions that promote acid-runoff. Co-disposal techniques include the co-mingling of complementary mine wastes with disparate ARD characteristics and particle sizes. This helps to reduce the permeation of oxidants to the acid-generating fractions. In this study, co-disposal was combined with a phenomenon known as microbially-induced calcite precipitation (MICP). In this process, ureolytic bacteria produce a calcite precipitate that causes long-range clogging in porous media. Calcite produced via MICP can be used to mitigate the exposure of sulfide-bearing coal waste rock to natural elements. This is achieved by creating a reactive barrier to oxidants that promote the onset of ARD. The calcite precipitate bifunctionally provides structural stability, supporting the reduction of seepage often associated with oxidative weathering. Twelve bioreactors were setup with different packing configurations (layered and blended) to determine the optimum physical conditions for MICP. Additionally, the bioreactors were inoculated via irrigation or agglomeration to explore the effect of the inoculation strategy on the calcite penetration depth. The packing protocol was found to play a significant role in the rate, penetration depth, and yield of MICP. Layered bioreactors yielded higher total calcite contents; however, blended bioreactors displayed a better calcite distribution than their layered counterparts. Further, the impact of the different inoculation methods was strongly dependent on the packing configuration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18594,"journal":{"name":"Minerals Engineering","volume":"232 ","pages":"Article 109530"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144321870","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Advances in application of theoretical computations in copper oxide mineral flotation","authors":"Wentao Xu ,&nbsp;Jing Wen ,&nbsp;Chenyang Zhang ,&nbsp;Leyi Chen ,&nbsp;Yujie Zeng ,&nbsp;Tao Zhang ,&nbsp;Qamroosh Altaf ,&nbsp;Yangge Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109395","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109395","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Copper is an important strategic mineral resource for national defense security and economic development. With the gradual decrease in easy-to-mining and processing copper sulfide mineral resources, how to efficiently utilize low-grade and difficult-to-process copper oxide mineral resources has attracted more and more attention. Previous work has made some breakthroughs, and this article will provide a review of the latest achievements in the theoretical research of oxide copper mineral flotation based on the principles of coordination chemistry, crystal chemistry, and solution chemistry, focusing on the application research progress of two molecular computation methods: first-principles calculations (including quantum chemistry (QC) and density functional theory (DFT)) and molecular dynamics simulation (MD). The application of these methods has two aspects: first, to calculate and analyze the properties of commonly used reagent molecules in oxide copper ore flotation, and then to design reagent molecules that enhance flotation efficiency. Second, to simulate the interaction mechanisms of multiphase solid and liquid interface chemistry and interfacial assembly between mineral grains and between mineral crystal surfaces and reagent molecules. In addition, the research progress of popular machine learning algorithms for efficiently developing accurate force field parameters for oxide copper mineral flotation dynamics simulation is also discussed. Finally, we further prospect the application of theoretical computations in the flotation of oxide copper minerals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18594,"journal":{"name":"Minerals Engineering","volume":"232 ","pages":"Article 109395"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144314475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An interpretable and generalised machine learning model for predicting flotation performance","authors":"Clement Lartey ,&nbsp;Richmond K. Asamoah ,&nbsp;Christopher Greet ,&nbsp;Massimiliano Zanin ,&nbsp;Jixue Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109492","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109492","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recent advances in sensor technology and machine learning (ML) have created new opportunities to predict and improve flotation performance in mineral processing. However, existing flotation performance prediction models lack interpretability and are mostly poorly generalised, making drawing insights from model outcomes difficult. This study addresses these gaps by developing a balanced flotation model using an Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) algorithm. To interpret the model, we visualise the decision-making process using a tree plot and analyse the prediction path of the model. We employed SHAP (SHapely Addictive exPlanations) and LIME (Local Interpretable Model-agnostic Explanations) to quantify the contribution of each input variable to the model’s predictions. Sensitivity analysis of the input variables revealed patterns that were consistent with the interpretability results, providing additional validation of the model’s decision-making process. The prediction results showed that XGBoost (Extreme Gradient Boosting) model demonstrated superior performance, achieving coefficient of determination (<span><math><msup><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msup></math></span>) values of 0.97 and 0.92 for training and testing datasets respectively. This performance surpassed comparative models including Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) with <span><math><msup><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msup></math></span> values of 0.91 and 0.88 and Support Vector Regression (SVR) yielding the lowest <span><math><msup><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msup></math></span> values of 0.76 and 0.75 on training and testing datasets respectively. This study enhances flotation performance prediction while providing clear insights into the model prediction outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18594,"journal":{"name":"Minerals Engineering","volume":"232 ","pages":"Article 109492"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144321869","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of a rare earth modified residue of leaching aluminium from gangue for fluoride ion adsorption from mine water","authors":"Lianjing Ma ,&nbsp;Yang Zhang ,&nbsp;Panyang He ,&nbsp;Baofeng Zhao ,&nbsp;Xiaomin Zhang ,&nbsp;Haibo Xiao ,&nbsp;Mengna Diwu ,&nbsp;Di Liu ,&nbsp;Qinghua Gu ,&nbsp;Caiwu Lu","doi":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109536","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109536","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing anthropogenic and industrial activities have led to widespread contamination of water resources. Among the various pollutants, excess fluoride in water poses a global environmental and public health challenge due to its toxicity and persistence. To address this challenge, Ce and La loaded the residue of leaching aluminium from gangue were synthesized as adsorbents (Ce-La@LR) for the removal of fluoride ion (F⁻) from water. The as-prepared samples were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to examine the effects of Ce-La loading, adsorbent dosage, initial solution pH, and the presence of coexisting ions on fluoride adsorption. The results indicated that fluoride removal efficiency exceeded 95 % at a 15 % Ce-La loading, pH value of 5, and an adsorbent dosage of 0.1 g/L. The adsorption kinetics of fluoride ion (F⁻) on Ce-La@LR were best described by the proposed second-order kinetics, with a correlation coefficient (R²) of 0.9997, suggesting that chemical adsorption plays a significant role in the fluoride removal process. The isotherm data were fitted to the Langmuir model, revealing a maximum adsorption capacity of 56.81 mg/g. Except for carbonate (CO₃²⁻) and phosphate (PO₄³⁻) ions, the influence of other ions was negligible for the adsorption of F⁻ on the Ce-La@LR. The possible adsorption mechanism of fluoride ion removal on the Ce-La@LR involves electrostatic attraction and ion exchange. This research not only offers an effective solution for treating mine water but also presents a novel approach for resource recovery from coal mine waste.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18594,"journal":{"name":"Minerals Engineering","volume":"232 ","pages":"Article 109536"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144321868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Study on the adsorption mechanism of ricinoleate and oleate on kaolinite and quartz surfaces","authors":"Chuilei Kong ,&nbsp;Lingyun Liu ,&nbsp;Xianglin Yang ,&nbsp;Fangqin Lu","doi":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109544","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109544","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The introduction of a hydroxyl group in the ricinoleat (ROA⁻) molecule enhances its adsorption selectivity on kaolinite surfaces compared to conventional oleate (OA⁻). In this study, a combined approach of density functional theory (DFT) simulations and experimental validation was employed to investigate the adsorption behaviors of ROA⁻ and OA⁻ on kaolinite and quartz surfaces. Mulliken population, Hirshfeld charge transfer, and PDOS analyses revealed that ROA⁻ adsorption on kaolinite is primarily driven by hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions, whereas adsorption on quartz is dominated by weaker hydrogen bonding. The adsorption strength follows the order: ROA⁻/kaolinite &gt; OA⁻/kaolinite &gt; ROA⁻/quartz &gt; OA⁻/quartz. Flotation experiments showed that ROA⁻ achieved a kaolinite recovery of 86.71 % and a separation efficiency of 57.12 % at concentrations below 0.9 mmol/L, outperforming OA⁻. Zeta potential, FTIR, and XPS results further confirmed that the adsorption mechanisms are highly consistent with DFT predictions, offering theoretical guidance for the design of selective anionic collectors for kaolinite separation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18594,"journal":{"name":"Minerals Engineering","volume":"232 ","pages":"Article 109544"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144314549","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing the hydration properties of copper tailings cement through improving the interfacial transition zone by calcium-based activators","authors":"Jingzhi Peng ,&nbsp;Zhihong Wu ,&nbsp;Yuexin Pan ,&nbsp;Jiawei Wang ,&nbsp;Jin Wang ,&nbsp;Shufang Ren ,&nbsp;Hongjin Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109542","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109542","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Copper tailings are solid waste with large discharge volumes and significant environmental pollution. After activation, their pozzolanic reactivity can be enhanced, enabling them to serve as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) to replace cement. The use of alkali metal salt-activated tailings as a cement substitute can result in a reduction in specimen strength over time. The application of calcium-based activators offers a promising solution to mitigate these issues. This study compares the activation effects of CaO and Ca(OH)₂ on copper tailings, examining their influence on the pozzolanic reactivity of the copper tailings. Furthermore, the process by which calcium-based activators improve the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) and hence the cement hydration properties of copper tailings is examined. The results indicate that copper tailings activated with 4 % CaO and Ca(OH)₂ exhibit activity indices of 72.81 % and 65.33 %, respectively, representing 11.68 % and 4.20 % increases compared to the control group (M0). The cumulative heat release of the CaO-activated paste samples at 72 h is 855.46 J/g, 8.96 % higher than that of the Ca(OH)₂-activated sample. The compressive strength of the CaO-activated mortar samples at 28 d reaches 32.18 MPa, representing an increase of 3.3 MPa compared to the Ca(OH)2-activated sample. It is observed that CaO demonstrates a superior activation effect over Ca(OH)₂. This is primarily due to CaO, which enhances the in-situ generation of Ca(OH)₂ at the junction of the copper tailings and the cement. This process initiates pozzolanic reactions within the copper tailings and facilitates the formation of a low-Ca/Si C-S-H gel (Ca/Si = 2.40). This process enhances the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between copper tailings and cement, thereby increasing the hydration degree of the copper tailings-cement paste, which in turn improves the compressive strength of the samples. This study provides theoretical and practical reinforcement for cement’s continued application of copper ore tailings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18594,"journal":{"name":"Minerals Engineering","volume":"232 ","pages":"Article 109542"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144314411","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of composition, compaction and wetting drying cycles on the leachates from two hydraulically bound coal mine wastes","authors":"Thanh Liem Vo ,&nbsp;Mohammad Rezania ,&nbsp;William Nash ,&nbsp;Violeta Ramos ,&nbsp;Raffaele Vinai ,&nbsp;Emmanuel Owoichoechi Momoh ,&nbsp;Mohammad Hajsadeghi ,&nbsp;Mark Williams ,&nbsp;Paul Wilson ,&nbsp;Rich Crane","doi":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109545","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109545","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Coal mine waste (CMW) poses many environmental challenges globally. They are mostly stored in coal tips or utilised as raw materials in low value landscaping applications within the mine site or in local proximity. To widen and valorise its use, there is a growing interest in its inclusion in higher value hydraulically bound construction materials, however, a key limitation currently holding back this potential relates to the very sparse knowledge available about the possible environmental impacts of such materials. To bridge this gap, an experimental programme has been carried out to investigate the impacts of composition, compaction and wetting–drying cycles of hydraulically bound materials employing JANK and DTEK (two CMWs collected from Poland and Ukraine) as aggregates. In particular, the hydraulically bound coal mine wastes (HBCMW) were subjected to two laboratory-simulated wetting–drying cycles to assess the chemistry of the leachates released. The results suggest that higher concentrations of sulphide-bearing minerals in DTEK compared to JANK have caused consistently higher sulphate anion (SO₄^2-) concentrations in the leachates generated by hydraulically bound DTEK. Cementation of CMW particles has also led to elevated Ca concentrations in the leachates, due to interaction with the cement paste used as the binder in the initial mix. In addition, the leachates from the more loosely compacted JANK samples exhibit higher concentrations of most measured analytes, including heavy and transition metals, than the leachates from the more densely compacted JANK samples, possibly due to the former’s higher porosity exposing larger surface areas for leaching. The two laboratory-simulated wetting–drying cycles were found to increase the porosities of all HBCMW samples.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18594,"journal":{"name":"Minerals Engineering","volume":"232 ","pages":"Article 109545"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144314413","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of mine tailings mineralogy and curing conditions in the cementation of pastes for mine galleries backfilling","authors":"Antonio J. Diosdado-Aragón ,&nbsp;Martin J. Valenzuela-Díaz ,&nbsp;Jose Miguel Dávila ,&nbsp;Mercedes Becerra-Herrera ,&nbsp;Manuel A. Caraballo","doi":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109524","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109524","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mine Tailings (MTs) are typically used in combination with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and water to generate a paste to be used for mine galleries backfilling (MGBF). This technology has been optimized for several decades and it is well known that the final uniaxial compressive strengths (UCS) achieved by the paste mainly depend on the OPC concentration used in the paste formulation. However, there is still some controversy on the effect that the combined effect of MTs composition (i.e., bulk chemistry and mineralogy) and curing temperatures and times may have in the UCS achieved by the paste. On this regard, the present study implemented a comprehensive laboratory experiment and a statistical model to expose the possible antagonistic or synergetic effects of the combinations of these variates under realistic environmental and operational conditions at underground mines (i.e., MTs composition ranging from acidic to alkaline, and curing conditions ranging from room temperature to 60 °C and from 3 to 27 days). The initial chemical and mineralogical composition of the MTs does not have a significant impact on UCS. However, curing temperature is the main factor controlling the final UCS achieved by the paste, with all formulations reaching their maximum strength at 40 °C and most of them decreasing their UCS values both higher and lower temperatures. Additionally, it was observed that at 60 °C, acidic MTs exhibit lower UCS values compared to alkaline MTs. Consequently, paste formulation must be designed considering the real curing temperature at the specific gallery to be backfilling. At the same time, it is advisable to obtain drill cores from old galleries and shafts filled with paste as a measure to control UCS evolution with time. This work enhances the understanding of the interaction between OPC and MTs and provides practical recommendations for optimizing the cementation processes in underground mining operations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18594,"journal":{"name":"Minerals Engineering","volume":"232 ","pages":"Article 109524"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144314550","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Measurement of gas dispersion parameters in a reflux flotation cell","authors":"Abdullaziz Glabe Zakari,&nbsp;Raju Chowdhury,&nbsp;Peter Ireland,&nbsp;Geoffrey Evans,&nbsp;Subhasish Mitra","doi":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109526","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109526","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Performance of mineral flotation process in terms of grade and recovery is critically dependent on achieving the optimal gas dispersion in a flotation cell which involves three parameters − superficial gas velocity (j_G), gas holdup (<span><math><mrow><msub><mover><mrow><mi>α</mi></mrow><mrow><mo>¯</mo></mrow></mover><mi>G</mi></msub></mrow></math></span>), and bubble size (d_sea). In mechanical flotation cells, these parameters have been extensively studied, however current understanding of these parameters in the Reflux Flotation Cell (RFC™) remains significantly limited. This study aims to experimentally measure these parameters in a pilot-scale RFC™ system using high-speed imaging and differential pressure measurement technique by varying four operating fluxes which include − gas (j_G = 0.42 to 2.09 cm/s), feed (F = 1.46 to 1.88 cm/s), wash water (W = 0.21 to 0.63 cm/s), and underflow (U = 1.46 to 1.88 cm/s). It was noted that increasing F and W fluxes resulted in smaller d_sea due to increased shear rate and corresponding bubble breakups. The relationship between d_sea and F was linear, while it plateaued with W. With F and W fluxes, the d_sea decreased from a maximum of 1.37 and 1.11 mm to a minimum of 0.44 and 0.62 mm, respectively. Conversely, U flux increased d_sea at low j_G but decreased it at higher j_G, with values ranging from ∼ 0.48 to 0.97 mm. Gas holdup exhibited a linear increase with j_G but decreased with higher F and W fluxes or reduced U flux. The <span><math><mrow><msub><mover><mrow><mi>α</mi></mrow><mrow><mo>¯</mo></mrow></mover><mi>G</mi></msub></mrow></math></span> ranged between ∼ 0.37 and 0.72 for F and ∼ 0.46 and 0.65 for W, while U varied from ∼ 0.30 to 0.64. Feed flux had a stronger impact on d_sea, whereas U flux was noted to affect <span><math><mrow><msub><mover><mrow><mi>α</mi></mrow><mrow><mo>¯</mo></mrow></mover><mi>G</mi></msub></mrow></math></span> more. Suitable empirical correlations were also developed to predict d_sea and <span><math><mrow><msub><mover><mrow><mi>α</mi></mrow><mrow><mo>¯</mo></mrow></mover><mi>G</mi></msub></mrow></math></span> which agreed well with the experimental data. The overall hydrodynamics was characterised by two distinct flow regimes − bubbly flow, with minimal bubble coalescence at low j_G, and churn-turbulent flow, characterized by frequent coalescence at high j_G. It was noted that wash water flux destabilises the bubbly flow regime into churn turbulent flow with transition occurring at <span><math><mrow><msub><mover><mrow><mi>α</mi></mrow><mrow><mo>¯</mo></mrow></mover><mi>G</mi></msub></mrow></math></span> ≥ 0.6 and j_G = 1.46 cm/s.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18594,"journal":{"name":"Minerals Engineering","volume":"232 ","pages":"Article 109526"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144307840","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The influence of grinding media and water chemistry on the closed-water flotation of single-mineral sulfide ores","authors":"Sancho N. Nyoni ,&nbsp;Cyril T. O’Connor ,&nbsp;Zhiyong Gao ,&nbsp;Shihong Xu ,&nbsp;Kirsten C. Corin","doi":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109509","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109509","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The milling stage prior to flotation plays a significant role in determining the chemical characteristics of the pulp phase in mineral processing, in which the grinding media and nature of the process water play a key role. This study analysed the effects of using low or high-ionic-strength water and either forged steel or inert ceramic media. Pure sulfide minerals, viz., pyrite (FeS₂) and galena (PbS), were used, in which the former may also contribute, together with the forged steel media, to the presence of Fe ions in the mill pulp. Electrochemical effects were determined at controlled pHs 4 and 10 by measuring the mixed potential, Eh. Moreover, the dissolved Fe and Pb concentrations at the end of the milling process were measured. When pyrite was used, xanthate consumption during flotation showed some correlation with Eh and flotation results. In the case of galena, the xanthate collector rapidly complexes with Pb ions dissolved into the pulp phase. The findings showed that the optimal conditions for the effectiveness of the xanthate collector occurred when using inert ceramic media at low pH. However, using forged steel media at alkaline pHs proved advantageous in separating galena from pyrite in a mixed/complex ore. Using high ionic strength process water with forged steel media at high pH yielded the highest grades of pyrite and the lowest of galena. This correlated with the solids recovery results. In the case of galena, an alkaline pH improved Pb recovery but also resulted in significant froth overstabilisation − as indicated by the water recoveries −, hence the reduced grades. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used in order to attempt to elucidate the experimental findings. This research indicates that using recycled water under specific conditions did not negatively affect the flotation performance of either mineral. Different grinding media played a more significant role in that regard.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18594,"journal":{"name":"Minerals Engineering","volume":"232 ","pages":"Article 109509"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144307841","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}