The impact of water in the froth on flotation

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Canada is one of the most important mining nations in the world, producing more than 60 minerals and metals. Mining and mineral processing has long been one of the country's key wealth generators. In 2014 the sector employed approximately 375,000 people and contributed $57 billion to Canada's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and accounted for 18.2% of the value of Canadian goods exports. Flotation is possibly the most widely utilised separation technique used in mining and mineral processing, waste water treatment, and recycling to name but three examples. The principle is based on hydrophobic particles in a suspension selectively attaching to air bubbles, which then rise to the surface and are removed in an overflowing froth, commonly the concentrate; the hydrophilic material remains in suspension and is pumped out of the cell towards the bottom, most often the tailings fraction. In mineral processing, this technique has allowed for the separation of chemically similar minerals, which otherwise would not be economical to process. The importance of flotation was noted by Jeremy Mouat, who states that it is "perhaps the greatest single metallurgical improvement of the modern era". Considering its importance to the global economy, and the production of metals that many of us take for granted, there are still many aspects that are unknown, and require further research. This research project will investigate the impact of water flow on the performance of flotation columns. It will allow for in-situ measurements of the water overflowing, which brings with it unwanted waste material. In addition, ways to mitigate the recovery of this waste will also be investigated.Over the five-year period of this project eight student Highly Qualified Personnel (HQPs) will be trained. This includes three Ph.D. students and five undergraduate research trainees. These HQP will be qualified to move into the mining and minerals industry, which will benefit the supporting company (Flottec) and the Canadian economy as a whole.