Bioflocculants for Mineral Processing

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Chemiqa is a developer, manufacturer and marketer of specialty chemicals and flotation technology to themining and mineral processing industries. The objective of this project is to develop bioreagents for mineralprocessing with a focus on flocculants. The bioflocculants will be targeted for use on fluid fine tailings (FFT)derived from oil-sands, coal, copper, nickel and phosphate processing operations. FFT is a mixture of wasteproducts containing mostly fine mineral solids and water which are difficult to separate. At present, there is alarge volume of FFT stored in tailings ponds in Canada, which represents a huge liability for miningcompanies. One strategy to enhance FFT dewatering is by flocculation. Flocculation uses molecules to formbridges between particles, leading to the formation of particle aggregates, or flocs, which settle more quicklythan individual fine particles. The most commonly used flocculants are synthetic organic polymers. Whilethese reagents may not be inherently toxic, there are concerns about the toxicity and non-renewable origins ofthe petroleum-based precursors used to make these types of flocculants. Further, known synthetic organicpolymers are not always effective in FFT applications and the reagent cost can be very high. It is known thatmicroorganisms produce natural polymers, including polysaccharides and proteins, that aid in the aggregationof organic material and cells. Bioflocculants are environmentally-friendly, biodegradable and renewable. Thedevelopment of an effective, inexpensive and environmentally-benign bioreagent to dewater FFT will beprofitable for Chemiqa, and help solve one of the greatest challenges facing the mining industry today.