SBIR Phase I: Selective Chemical Probes for Measurement of Flotation Collector Reagents in Sulfidic Ore Beneficiation

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目将研究和开发用于泡沫浮选系统的选择性化学探针。硫化矿物泡沫浮选是一种固体-固体分离过程，主要用于采矿工业中从粘土、木材、柴油和其他没有经济价值的物质等废弃矿物中提纯目标矿物的所有其他方法。浮选操作员通常最大限度地提高矿物回收率，并在知情的情况下向浮选设备中添加过量(10-30%)的矿物选择性捕收剂，这些捕收剂与目标矿物反应，然后通过浮选去除。该项目的目的是准确地控制捕收剂的量到一个很小的(1-2%)过量。没有商业上可用的传感器来完成这项任务，主要是因为这些复杂和高度可变的矩阵强烈干扰测量。这项工作的目标是研究和开发能够在干扰基质存在的情况下选择性地测量捕收剂试剂的探针。大部分工作涉及为两个不同的收集器合成各种类型的探针材料。将测试探测器从具有真实世界的采矿废水的基质中分离目标捕收剂化学物质的有效性。该项目将通过使采矿业更可持续地回收矿物而产生重大的社会影响。具体地说，这项研究旨在显著减少与泡沫浮选相关的有毒化学废物量及其不可避免的环境影响。这种方法有可能使美国铜业更具竞争力，因为它在废铜收集器上节省了逾2亿美元，同时通过消除约89.1万公斤不必要的化学排放，提高了采矿的可持续性。该项目将对浮选操作知识做出重大贡献，因为众所周知，基于实验室测试的推荐条件很少与实际操作相匹配，并将为操作带来传感器。该项目将与明尼苏达大学的彼得·卡尔教授密切合作，并根据《2009年美国复苏和再投资法案》(公法111-5)提供资金。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will research and develop selective chemical probes for use in froth flotation systems. Sulfide mineral froth flotation is a solid-solid separations process which dominates all other methods used in the mining industry to purify a target mineral from refuse minerals such as clay, wood, , diesel fuel, and other economically worthless substances. Flotation operators typically maximize mineral recovery and knowingly add into the flotation device an excess (10-30%) of mineral selective collector reagents that react with the target mineral and are subsequently removed by flotation. The aim of this project is to accurately control the amount of collector to a small (1-2%) excess. There are no commercially available sensors to do this task primarily because these complex and highly variable matrices strongly interfere with the measurement. It is the goal of this work to research and develop probes that will allow the selective measurement of the collector reagent in the presence of the interfering matrix. The bulk of the work involves synthesis of various types of probe materials for two different collectors. The effectiveness of the probes to separate the target collector chemical from the matrix with real world mining effluents will be tested.The project will have a significant societal impact by making the mining industry more sustainable in its approach to mineral recovery. Specifically, the research aims to significantly reduce the amount of toxic chemical waste associated with froth flotation and its inevitable environmental impact. The method has the potential of making the US copper industry more competitive by saving over $200 M in wasted collector while simultaneously improving mining sustainability by eliminating an estimated 891,000 kg of unnecessary chemical discharges. This project will make a significant contribution to flotation operating knowledge, as it is well known that recommended conditions based on lab testing rarely match a real operation, and will bring sensors to the operation. This project will be conducted in close collaboration with Professor Peter Carr of the University of Minnesota.This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).