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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Pilot-scale testing of microbubble flotation

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5748409

Fundamental investigations into the effect of bubble size on coal flotation have established that the use of microbubbles can improve the recovery of fine coal during flotation while, at the same time, increasing the rejection of ash-forming mineral matter. When used in conjunction with the quiescent conditions provided by a column, the microbubble flotation process has been demonstrated on a laboratory scale to be capable of producing superclean coal containing less than 1 or 2% ash and very little pyritic sulfur. The main objective of this project is to demonstrate the microbubble column flotation process on a pilot-scale. A 500 lb/hr pilot plant is being constructed for the purpose of: 910 demonstrating the feasibility of the microbubble flotation process for producing superclean coal, (2) collecting scale-up data for designing commercial-scale microbubble flotation columns, and (3) collecting cost data for an economic evaluation of the process. In addition to micronized coal, the process is also being tested on coarse coal and refuse pond material. 20 figs.

Research Organization:
Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ., Blacksburg, VA (USA). Dept. of Mining and Minerals Engineering
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC22-86PC91274
OSTI ID:
5748409
Report Number(s):
DOE/PC/91274-T15; ON: DE91012262
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English