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

这个小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-固分离工艺，在采矿业中主要用于从废矿物（如粘土、木材、柴油燃料和其他经济上没有价值的物质）中提纯目标矿物。浮选操作人员通常会最大限度地提高矿物回收率，并有意识地在浮选装置中添加过量（10-30%）的矿物选择性捕收剂，这些捕收剂与目标矿物发生反应，随后通过浮选除去。这个项目的目的是精确地控制收集器的量到一个小（1-2%）过剩。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。这是这项工作的目标，研究和开发探针，将允许在干扰矩阵存在的收集器试剂的选择性测量。大部分工作包括为两种不同的收集器合成不同类型的探针材料。将测试探针将目标收集器化学物质与真实世界采矿废水的基质分离的有效性。该项目将产生重大的社会影响，使采矿业在矿物回收方面更具可持续性。具体而言，该研究旨在显著减少与泡沫浮选相关的有毒化学废物的数量及其不可避免的环境影响。该方法有可能使美国铜工业更具竞争力，因为它节省了2亿多美元的废物收集器，同时通过消除估计891,000公斤不必要的化学物质排放来提高采矿的可持续性。该项目将对浮选作业知识做出重大贡献，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，因此需要将传感器引入到操作中。该项目将与明尼苏达大学的Peter Carr教授密切合作进行。该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。

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).