ANÁLISE DE COMPONENTES PRINCIPAIS APLICADA À FLOTAÇÃO DE MINÉRIO DE FERRO

Abstract

Flotation is a process of concentration, usually, employed in iron ore processing. The present work aimed to evaluate the influence of variables in the flotation process in the bench-scale using the principal components analysis technique. For this purpose, a statistical analysis by using the software R was carried out, studying the silica and the iron contents in the feed, in the concentrate and in the tailings as well as the contaminants (mud, calcium oxide and magnesium oxide) in the feed and also the loss on ignition and amine dosing. The analysis has allowed to conclude that the first two components together account for approximately 45% of the total variability of the data matrix. The first component explained about 25% of the variance, related to the loss of selectivity of the flotation process. The second component explained about 20% of the variance and described the inefficiency of the process. The conducted studies have shown that the principal components analysis technique can be used to a better understanding of the variables of the bench-scale flotation processes.