Effect of pulp concentration on flotation process

In the flotation process, there are many influencing factors, such as ore particle size, slurry concentration and temperature, chemical system, equipment selection and other factors.

In order to obtain higher flotation indicators, the mineral processing plant should conduct mineral processing test analysis based on the properties and characteristics of the ore to determine a reasonable mineral processing plan.

Slurry concentration is an important process parameter in the flotation process and can directly affect the following technical and economic indicators.

1. Recovery rate: There is an obvious regularity between the pulp concentration and recovery rate of mineral flotation. When the slurry concentration is low, the concentrate recovery rate is low, and as the slurry concentration increases, the recovery rate will also increase. When the appropriate slurry concentration is reached, the recovery rate will decrease. The main reason is that too thick or too thin slurry will worsen the aeration conditions of the flotation machine.

2. Concentrate quality: Under normal circumstances, the concentrate obtained by flotation of thinner slurry has higher quality, while the concentrate obtained by flotation of thicker slurry has lower quality.

3. Dosage of chemicals: In order to obtain better flotation indicators, the slurry needs to maintain a certain concentration of chemicals during the flotation process. When the slurry concentration is high, the concentration of chemicals in the liquid phase increases, and the amount of chemicals used per ton of ore can be reduced. If the slurry concentration is small, the amount of chemical used per ton of ore needs to be increased.

4. Production capacity of flotation equipment: As the concentration of slurry increases, the production capacity will also increase.

5. Flotation time: The flotation time will be extended as the slurry concentration increases. This is beneficial to improve concentrate recovery rate.

6. Water and electricity consumption: The greater the slurry concentration, the less water and electricity consumption per ton of ore will be processed.

In order to obtain a suitable slurry concentration, in addition to the above factors, the ore properties and specific flotation conditions should also be considered. The general principle is: when flotating minerals with high density and coarse particle size, use slurry; when flotating minerals and slimes with small density and fine particle size, use dilute slurry. Concentrated slurry is used during roughing operation, so as to obtain high recovery rate and reduce chemical consumption. For the beneficiation operation, dilute slurry is used to improve the quality of the concentrate..