Molecular weight and colloidal effects in polymer adsorption in mineral processing systems.

选矿工业依靠一系列物理化学方法将细小的矿物颗粒从水悬浮液中分离出来。泡沫浮选、选择性凝聚、选择性絮凝都是这些技术的例子。人们认识到，这些过程的选择性在很大程度上取决于要进行这种处理的矿物表面性质的改变。水的润湿性、表面电荷、颗粒的分散和聚集可以通过添加专用化学品来控制和操纵。在许多情况下，可以使用各种类型的聚合物来执行这些专门的任务。 聚合物在选矿应用中的作用源于聚合物在矿物表面的吸附。由于聚合物可以表现出广泛的分子大小和化学性质，因此该计划的主要目标是确定分子大小和性质的广泛变化对聚合物对细小矿物颗粒的预期作用的影响。 该实验计划将包括广泛的测量技术，用于确定被测试聚合物的分子量特性、聚合物与矿物表面的相互作用，以及这些相互作用对细矿物颗粒的聚集、分散和润湿行为的影响。超离心、多角度光散射、红外光谱和微量热法将是研究计划中使用的一些最先进的技术。这项研究的结果将提高矿物加工行业回收越来越细的颗粒的能力，同时为特定应用的优化聚合物性能提供指导。在这个项目中测试的大多数聚合物都是自然产生的多糖，也是环境友好和可生物降解的。它们在矿物加工领域的更广泛应用将取决于我们对其吸附机理的深入了解。该项目的发现还应与聚合物利用的所有领域相关，包括食品、化妆品和制药行业。

The mineral processing industry relies on a range of physicochemical methods to separate fine mineral particles from aqueous suspensions. Froth flotation, selective aggregation, selective flocculation are examples of such technologies. It is recognized that the selectivity of these processes strongly depends on modification of the surface properties of the minerals to be so treated. Wettability by water, surface charging, dispersion, and aggregation of the particles can be controlled and manipulated by the addition of dedicated chemicals. In many cases, various types of polymers can be used to perform those specialized tasks. The action of a polymer in a mineral processing application results from adsorption of the polymer onto the mineral surface. Since polymers can be produced to exhibit a wide range of molecular sizes and chemical properties, the main objective of the proposed program is to determine the effect of those broad variations in molecular sizes and properties on the desired action of the polymer towards fine mineral particles. The experimental program will include a wide range of measuring techniques for determining the molecular weight characteristics of the tested polymers, interactions of the polymers with mineral surfaces, and the consequences of those interactions to the aggregation, dispersion, and wettability behavior of fine mineral particles. Ultracentrifuging, multi-angle light scattering, infrared spectroscopy, and microcalorimetry will be some of the most advanced techniques to be utilized in the research program. The results of this research will enhance the capabilities of the mineral processing industry to recover finer and finer particles, while providing guidelines for optimizing polymer properties for a particular application. Most of the polymers to be tested in this program are naturally-occurring polysaccharides which are also environmentally-friendly and biodegradable. Their wider applications in the mineral processing sector will depend on our enhanced understanding of their adsorption mechanisms. The findings of this program should also be relevant to all areas of polymer utilization, including food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries.