Nano-reactive oily bubbles for enhancing fine particle flotation by agglomeration

加拿大是世界上主要的矿业国家之一，生产60多种全球使用的重要矿物和金属。采矿业是加拿大经济的支柱，占全国GDP的近3%。然而，加拿大矿业公司在满足全球对大宗商品的需求方面面临着许多挑战。面对矿石品位下降和更严格的环境法规，创新至关重要（德勤2013年趋势追踪）。高品位矿石资源的迅速枯竭，促使采矿和选矿行业不断探索加工低品位矿石的新技术。要从低品位矿石中有效回收有价矿物，需要高耗能的细磨解离矿物和细粒浮选新技术。小于5微米的细颗粒的浮选是极具挑战性的，因为气泡与颗粒的碰撞和附着效率低下，再加上泥包覆，导致回收率低，选择性差。由于金属氢氧化物和细脉石矿物颗粒在靶矿物表面的非选择性沉淀或沉积，靶矿物颗粒上的泥包层对细颗粒浮选更为困难。这反过来又导致尾矿中有价值矿物的损失。本战略项目拟开发一种创新的纳米反应性油泡技术，通过选择性地增加矿物颗粒的粒度来增强细颗粒浮选。这项研究计划的成功将加强资源转换和加工（战略研究课题），以实现加拿大矿产资源（矿产部门）的可持续发展和利用，同时尽量减少能源的使用和矿物废物的产生。通过选择性提高目标矿物粒度，提高细粒浮选效果的纳米反应性油泡技术有望在10年内及时应用于选矿行业。

Canada is one of the leading mining nations in the world, producing more than 60 vital minerals and metalsthat are used globally. Mining is a pillar of the Canadian economy, generating almost 3% of the national GDP.However, Canadian mining companies face a number of challenges in meeting the global demand forcommodities. Innovation is critical in the face of declining ore grades and more stringent environmentalregulations (Tracking the Trends 2013, Deloitte). The rapid depletion of high-grade mineral ore resources hasdriven the mining and mineral processing industry to explore new technologies to process lower grade ores.The effective recovery of valuable minerals from low grade ores requires energy-intensive fine grinding formineral liberation and a new technology for fine particle flotation. The flotation of fine particles of sizes lessthan 5 micron is extremely challenging due to inefficient bubble - particle collision and attachment,compounded by slime coatings, leading to a low recovery and a poor selectivity. The slime coatings on targetmineral particles are more problematic for fine particle flotation due to non-selective precipitation ordeposition of metal hydroxide species and fine gangue mineral particles on the surface of target minerals. Thisin turn results in a loss of valuable minerals in tailings. The proposed research in this strategic project is todevelop an innovative nano-reactive oily bubble technology for enhancing fine particle flotation byselectively increasing the particle size of traget mineral particles . The success of this research program will enhance the resources conversion and processing (strategic research topic) for the sustainable development and use of Canada's mineral resources (minerals sector) while minimizing the use of energy and the generation of mineral wastes. It is anticipated that the concept-proven nano-reactive oily bubble technology for enhancing fine particle flotation by selectively increasing the particle size of target minerals be applied in mineral processing industry timely within 10 years.