During the flotation process of cobalt selection equipment, the ups and downs of minerals are almost independent of mineral density. For example, chalcopyrite and quartz have a density of 4.2 for the former and 2.68 for the latter. However, chalcopyrite, a heavy mineral, floats easily, while quartz sinks at the bottom. The research found that the buoyancy of minerals is related to their affinity for water. Any minerals that have a high affinity with water and are easily wetted by water are difficult to adhere to the bubbles and float. Minerals that have low affinity with water and are not easily wetted by water are easy to float.
Flotation is the same as other beneficiation methods. It is necessary to do the material preparation before separation, that is, the ore must be ground by a ball mill to reach the concentration and fineness suitable for flotation. In addition, flotation has the following basic operations:
1. The adjustment of the pulp and the addition of the flotation agent. Its purpose is to cause differences in the properties of mineral surfaces, that is, to change the wettability of mineral surfaces and to adjust the selectivity of mineral surfaces, so that some mineral particles can adhere to gas saturation, while others cannot adhere to air bubbles.
2. Stir and cause a lot of bubbles. With the help of the aeration and stirring action of the flotation machine, the air in the pulp is dispersed to form a large number of bubbles, or the air dissolved in the pulp is promoted to form a micro-saturated precipitation.
3. Mineralization of bubbles. The ore particles are selectively attached to the air bubbles, which is the most basic behavior in the flotation process of the cobalt separation equipment.
