Determination of rational steam consumption in steam-air mixture flotation of apatite-nepheline ores

Abstract

Relevance of the study is determined by the decisions taken to increase the production volume of certain commercial products from mineral raw materials. The scale, impact and consequences of the projects on developing the resource-saving technologies for beneficiation of mineral raw materials are socially significant, and the economic growth of mining production complies with the sustainable development goals. The aim of the study is to develop the flotation circuit and mode that improve the technological performance of beneficiation of apatite-nepheline ores of the Khibiny Massif in the Kola Peninsula. The scientific idea of the work is to develop the flotation circuit, the movement of beneficiation products in which ensures a major increase in the content of the recovered component in the rougher flotation procedure with a simultaneous increase in dressability of the material. The above condition is met when mixing the feedstock with rough concentrate. Recovery of the valuable component from the resulting mixture is accomplished in a mode differing from the known ones in that the heat of steam condensation is used to increase water temperature in the interphase film between the particle and the bubble. For pulp aeration during flotation, a mixture of air and hot steam is used as the gas phase. A high recovery of the valuable component in ore flotation according to the developed circuit and mode is facil-itated by increasing water temperature in wetting films due to the steam condensation heat. A high selectivity of flotation with a steam-air mixture can be explained using the concepts of a phonon component of disjoining pressure, the value and sign of which are associated with a difference in the dynamic structure of liquid in the wetting film and bulk liquid.