Coarse Particle Recovery
Changes Everything!
EFD’s HydroFloat ™ Separator radically
improves the traditional sulfide processing
circuit through Coarse Particle Flotation.
Unlike conventional flotation, the HydroFloat
Separator recovers particles as large as
800 microns with as little as 1% mineral
surface expression. By rejecting the balance
as “coarse” tailings, much of the recirculating
load is eliminated, thus greatly increasing mill
capacity… with NO loss in mineral recovery!
Particles approximately 850 microns
HydroFloat Separator
Coarse Particle Recovery using
EFD’s HydroFloat Separator can:
Overflow Coarse Mineral
Recovers virtually all
particles which exhibit
greater than 1% hydrophobic
surface expression
• Increase mill throughput by
as much as 15-20%
• Reduce energy & media consumption
• Produce a coarse tailing stream
Air
RECOVERY OF VALUES FROM
A PORPHORY COPPER TAILINGS
STREAM
Michael J. Mankosa, Jaisen N. Kohmuench,
Lance Christodoulou
Eriez Flotation Division, 2200 Asbury
Road, Erie, PA 16506 USA
Phone: (814) 835-6000 Email: mmankosa@ereiz.com
Underflow Coarse Tails
Jaisen Hilsen and Gerald H. Luttrell
Mining & Minerals Engineering, 100
Holden Hall, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg,
VA 24061 USA
Phone: (540) 230-7112 Email: Luttrell@vt.edu
ABSTRACT
The efficiency of the froth flotation
process has long been known to be
strongly dependent on particle size.
For sulfide minerals, good recoveries
are typically achieved in industrial
flotation circuits for particles in
the 10 to 200 micron size range. Particles
outside this critical size are typically
lost in the tailings streams
rejected by industrial operations due
to inherent constraints associated with
the physical interactions that
occur in the pulp and froth phases
of conventional flotation equipment.
In response to these limitations, a
series of experimental studies were
conducted to determine whether particles
LE
previously lost as tailings
could be economically recovered using
E PARTIC
a suite of novel flotation technologies
developed for the upgrading SPLIT
of ultracoarse and ultrafine particles
IN COARS TECHNOLOGY
in the industrial minerals industry. For
-FEED
CE AREA
FLOAT
the case of ultracoarse particles,
a fluidized-bed flotation system called
SURFA
CIRCU
HYDRO
the HydroFloat separator was tested.
IT DESIG
ED GRAIN WITH THE
The data obtained using this
novel flotation device in both laboratory
N FOR
and pilot-scale trials showed that good
R ORE
E OF EXPOS
PRIM
lost sulfide values up to 0.7 mm in
recoveries of previously
COPPE
ICANC
Michae
ARY SULFI
diameter could be achieved. A sample
Wang
Sciences
Eriez Flotati
l J. Manko
THE SIGNIF OF LOW-GRADE
photograph of coarse middling
and Yan
particles recovered by this technology
and Earth
DE RECO
on Divisio
sa and
C.L. Lin
is shown in Figure 1.Similarly, for
TION
of Mines
Jaisen
Phone:
ultrafine particles, a new high-
intensity flotation system known as
FLOTA
VERY
n, 2200
Jan D. Miller, ring, College UT 84112 USA
N. Kohmu
(814) 835-60
the StackCell was tested. This technology,
Asbury
Enginee
.edu
which utilizes high-shear
high-energy contacting of slurry and
gical
Lake City,
00 Email: Road, Erie, ench
er@utah
gas, was capable of recovering valuable
Mining
ent of Metallur ty of Utah, Salt Email: Jan.Mill
PA
ultrafine sulfide slimes that & Minera
were previously lost as waste due
mmank
Departm
to low capture efficiencies. The objectives
Universi
osa@e 16506 USA
ls Engine
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describe the unique operating principles
of this article are (i) to
nch
reiz.co
801-581
ering, 100 Gerald H.
m
of these two advanced flotation technologies
N. Kohmue 16506 USA
Phone:
Luttrel
ancillary
Phone:
Jaisen
Holden
classification
and associated
PA
and
l
equipment,
a
Erie,
(ii) to present experimental test data
(540) 230-71 Hall, Virgin
showing the metallurgical benefits
z.com
J. Mankos Asbury Road,
of this approach for upgrading coarse
sa@erei
Michael
12 Email: ia Tech,
and fine sulfide minerals, and (iii)
, 2200
mmanko
to provide a generic cost-benefit
analysis of the proposed system for
Division
Luttrel Blacksburg,
0 Email:
upgrading tailing streams historically
l@vt.e
Mining
VA 24061
Eriez Flotation (814) 835-600
rejected by sulfide mineral
concentrators.
John A.
du
Engine
USA
Phone:
Herbst
ering,
West
Hall
Luttrell
365A Minera
Gerald H. ring, 100 Holden
Phone: Virginia Univer
(304) 293-76
Enginee
sity, Morga l Resources
24061 USA
Buildin
& Minerals Blacksburg, VA
vt.edu
80 Email: ntown,
g
Mining
Luttrell@
Tech,
jaherbs WV 26506
A new
Virginia 230-7112 Email:
t@mai
l.wvu.e
deploy generation of
ABST
du
ed
Phone: (540)
due to
RACT
microns
unique during in the advanced flotatio
ACT
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of 150-200 a novel fluidized
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