Assessment of a bio-inspired frothing agent derived from Vitamin E in mineral processing

Frothers play a key role in froth flotation by stabilising bubbles, which serve as a platform for separation of minerals of interest. This paper presents D-α-Tocopherol Polyethylene Glycol 6000 Succinate (VitE_PEG6000), an eco-friendly green frother. VitE_PEG6000′s frothing performance was evaluated and benchmarked against MIBC using metrics such as the dynamic and static foam stability index (DFI, SFI), decay rate index (DRI), and critical coalescence concentration (CCC). The results show VitE_PEG6000 offers relatively high DFI of ∼ 405 s/mM and low CCC of ∼ 0.008 mM, classifying it as a powerful frother. Furthermore, NaCl enhances the foaming properties of VitE_PEG6000 by further lowering the surface tension and increasing dilational viscoelasticity. The outcome from this work suggests VitE_PEG6000 as a viable green frother, minimising environmental impact and hazards. Moreover, the compatibility of VitE_PEG6000 with NaCl, as the most dominant salt in groundwater and seawater allows the use of this novel frother with various water sources, thus reducing ecological footprints and fresh water usage.