Micro-agglomerate location flotation for deep cleaning of coal. Quarterly progress report, October 1--December 31, 1993
We are investigating the use of a hybrid process -- Micro-agglomerate flotation which is a combination of oil-agglomeration and froth flotation. The basic concept is to use small quantities of oil to promote the formation of dense micro-agglomerates with minimal entrapment of water and mineral particles, and to use froth flotation to extract these micro-agglomerates from the water/dispersed-mineral phase. Since the floating units are agglomerates (about 30--50 {mu}m in size) rather than individual coal particles (1--10 {mu}m) the problems of froth overload and water/mineral carryover should be significantly alleviated. Micro-agglomerate flotation has considerable potential for the practical deep cleaning of coal on a commercial scale. In principle, it should be possible to achieve both high selectivity and high yield at reasonable cost. The process requires only conventional, off-the-shelf equipment and reagent usage (oil, surfactants, etc.) should be small. There are, however, complications. The process involves at least five phases: two or more solids (coal and mineral), two liquids (oil and water) and one gas (air). It is necessary to maintain precise control over the chemistry of the liquid phases in order to promote the interfacial reactions and interactions between phases necessary to ensure selectivity. Kinetics as well as thermodynamic factors may be critical in determining overall system response.
- Research Organization:
- Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG22-92PC92543
- OSTI ID:
- 10147792
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/PC/92543-T5; ON: DE94011146; BR: AA1525050
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Jan 1994
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Micro-agglomerate flotation for deep cleaning of coal
Micro-agglomerate flotation for deep cleaning of coal. Quarterly progress report, September 30--December 31, 1992