Packed Column Flotation For Fluorspar Beneficiation

A comprehensive flotation study has been conducted on a Chinese fluorspar ore using the packed flotation column developed at Michigan Technological University (MTU). The results are compared with those for a conventional mechanical flotation method on the same feedstocks. Key factors controlling flotation performance of both methods are evaluated based upon a simple statistic design. The flotation concentrate produced in one stage of the packed column has 4% to 5% higher recovery and much lower silica impurity than the concentrate produced by up to six stages using a conventional mechanical cell. The results also show that the packed-column flotation process is particularly suitable for the recovery of finer fluorspar particles.