Molecular Engineering and Controlled Nano-assembly for Complex Sulfide Flotation in High Salinity Water

高盐度水中复杂硫化物浮选的分子工程和受控纳米组装

• 批准号: RGPIN-2015-05422
• 负责人: Liu, Qingxia
• 金额: $ 2.55万
• 依托单位: University of Alberta
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2016-01-01 至 2017-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=613540
• 关键词: Molecular; Engineering; Controlled; Nano; assembly

The depletion of high-grade mineral ore resources has driven Canada’s mining and mineral processing industry to explore new technologies to process lower grade ores. The effective recovery of valuable minerals from low-grade ore requires intensive fine grinding for mineral liberation and a new technology for fine particle flotation. With increasingly stringent environment regulations for zero discharge, recycled water is used for mineral processing and oil sands extraction. As a result, salinity or total dissolved solids (TDS) in the recycled water has increased significantly. These elevated ionic concentrations, as well as the precipitation of metal hydroxides at high pH, retard the collector’s reaction with mineral surfaces and lower the selectivity. These problems limit the effectiveness of recycled high-salinity water or seawater in mineral processing. This discovery program is aimed at developing a breakthrough technology for fine particle flotation in high salinity and seawater. Our approach is to achieve fundamental understanding of the underlying science of the critical physiochemical properties of fine mineral particles and air bubbles in high salinity and seawater. Through controlled nano-assembly, a topography of collector molecules on the surface of fine mineral particles will be designed for selective flotation in high salinity and seawater. The effects of solution chemistry on collector adsorption, air bubble coalescence, and water structure at the air-water interface will be studied in high salinity water. We will elucidate the relationship of molecular structure and topography on mineral surfaces to flotation recovery and selectivity. The interaction forces between bubbles and mineral surfaces in high salinity water will be studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). This fundamental knowledge lays the foundation for further development of revolutionary fine particle flotation technologies so that our limited mineral resources can be used responsibly with minimum environmental footprint. Scientifically, we anticipate breakthroughs in understanding the nature of molecular nano-assembly structure and interaction forces.

高品位矿石资源的枯竭促使加拿大的采矿和矿物加工业探索新技术来加工低品位矿石。从低品位矿石中有效回收有价值矿物需要进行强烈的细磨矿物解离和细粒浮选新技术。随着越来越严格的零排放环境法规，再生水用于矿物加工和油砂开采。结果，再循环水中的盐度或总溶解固体（TDS）显著增加。这些升高的离子浓度，以及在高pH下金属氢氧化物的沉淀，阻碍了捕收剂与矿物表面的反应并降低了选择性。这些问题限制了回收的高盐度水或海水在矿物加工中的有效性。 该发现计划旨在开发高盐度和海水中细粒浮选的突破性技术。我们的方法是实现高盐度和海水中微细矿物颗粒和气泡的关键理化性质的基础科学的基本理解。通过控制纳米组装，捕收剂分子在微细矿物颗粒表面的形貌将被设计用于在高盐度和海水中的选择性浮选。将在高盐度水中研究溶液化学对捕收剂吸附、气泡聚结和空气-水界面处的水结构的影响。我们将阐明矿物表面的分子结构和形貌与浮选回收率和选择性的关系。利用原子力显微镜（AFM）研究了高矿化度水中气泡与矿物表面的相互作用力。这些基础知识为进一步开发革命性的细粒浮选技术奠定了基础，使我们有限的矿产资源能够以最小的环境足迹得到负责任的使用。在科学上，我们期待在理解分子纳米组装结构和相互作用力的性质方面取得突破。