Evaluation of a Novel Coal Flotation Improvement Approach With the Addition of Hydrophobic Magnetic Particles

The present study concentrated on a novel froth flotation process with the addition of hydrophobic magnetic particles. The effects of the concentration of hydrophobic particles, coal type, and the environment pH on the flotation behavior in the presence of hydrophobic particles were assessed. Tests results showed that the presence of hydrophobic particles in a froth flotation process significantly increased the flotation recovery, especially for difficult-to-float particles, which could be, in part, attributed to the improved kinetic flotation rate with hydrophobic particles elevating the surface hydrophobicity of pulp solids through attractive hydrophobic interaction. Moreover, the carrying capacity of a flotation process was significantly enhanced due to the froth stabilizing effect of hydrophobic particles, and as a result, preferential detachment of coarse particles was substantially prevented. The novel process containing recoverable hydrophobic and magnetic plastic particles is of great significance to expand the application of flotation process when a large amount of coarse particles is present.