Enhancement of galena-potassium ethyl xanthate flotation system by low power ultrasound

Abstract

The objective of this study is to investigate the improvement possibilities of the floatability of galena with ultrasonic application in the presence of potassium ethyl xanthate (KEX). For this purpose, micro-flotation experiments were carried out in addition to surface chemistry studies including zeta potential, contact angle, and bubble-particle attachment time measurements at various ultrasonic power levels and conditioning time. The results showed that, the maximum micro-flotation recovery of 77.5% was obtained with 30 W ultrasound power and 2 min conditioning time. In addition, more negative zeta potential values were obtained with ultrasound as well as higher contact angle and lower bubble-particle attachment time, which indicated the increased hydrophobicity of galena with ultrasound.