Process of improving the flotation using ultrasonic bombardment

Abstract

The quality of the iron ore, over the decades of exploitation lowered, due to the reduction of the rich ores found at the beginning of the exploration. It resulted in ores with lower grades and more mixed with the gangue. Iron ore is processed after comminution and grinding, to have appropriate particle size and release the stages of flotation, which is divided generally in Rougher steps, Cleaner, Scavenger and Re-Cleaner. Flotation is a process that uses an ore slurry with additions of flocculants, surfactants, and other products. These substances are fundamental to the operation. However, it compromises of the reuse of the water. The proposal presented in this paper introduces a pre-treatment process of the pre-flotation material, still in Rougher step, which will increase its efficiency in such way that only one Cleaner step would be sufficient to generate a concentrate ready to be considered flotation of the final product.