A process for separating a mixture of materials using a segregation media within a vessel having a central baffle structure which shuggles the mixture by oscillating the baffle structure at a frequency and amplitude. The mixture of materials may have overlapping densities with the segregation media having a density within the overlapping region. Polymers PE and PP may be separated in flake form. For a mixture of materials of differing densities, water may be the segregation media. Shuggling is combined with controlling the flow of water through the vessel at a set velocity. Embodiments are described for separating plastics and mineral ore.

What is presented is a material processing system for processing tailings discharged from an ore processing system. The tailings comprise coarse waste rock, the fine waste rock, coarse valuable product, and the fine valuable product. The material processing system comprises a classification element, a coarse flotation element, and a fines flotation element arranged to separate the coarse valuable product, the coarse waste rock, the fine valuable product, and the fine waste rock. The classification element separates the coarse waste rock and/or the coarse valuable product from the fine waste rock and/or the fine valuable product. The coarse flotation element separates the coarse waste rock from the coarse valuable product, the fine waste rock, and/or the fine valuable product. The fines flotation element separates the fine valuable product from the coarse waste rock, the fine waste rock, and/or the coarse valuable product.

What is presented is a material processing system for processing tailings discharged from an ore processing system. The tailings comprise coarse waste rock, the fine waste rock, coarse valuable product, and the fine valuable product. The material processing system comprises a classification element, a coarse flotation element, and a fines flotation element arranged to separate the coarse valuable product, the coarse waste rock, the fine valuable product, and the fine waste rock. The classification element separates the coarse waste rock and/or the coarse valuable product from the fine waste rock and/or the fine valuable product. The coarse flotation element separates the coarse waste rock from the coarse valuable product, the fine waste rock, and/or the fine valuable product. The fines flotation element separates the fine valuable product from the coarse waste rock, the fine waste rock, and/or the coarse valuable product.

A wide-size-fraction flotation system and process includes feeding coal slime to be floated into a stirrer, adding water to the floating coal slime in the stirrer, stirring, then feeding same into a grading cyclone through a first feeding pump for pre-grading; after grading of the coal slime in the grading cyclone, feeding overflow in the grading cyclone into a flotation column through a second feeding pump for flotation, discharging flotation tailings through an underflow port of the flotation column, collecting flotation concentrates through an overflow port of the flotation column and feeding same into a bubble generator through a fourth feeding pump, and the flotation concentrates passing through the bubble generator and being fed from the bottom of a hydraulic flotation machine; and feeding underflow in the grading cyclone into the hydraulic flotation machine through a third feeding pump, for flotation and recovery.

A wide-size-fraction flotation system and process includes feeding coal slime to be floated into a stirrer, adding water to the floating coal slime in the stirrer, stirring, then feeding same into a grading cyclone through a first feeding pump for pre-grading; after grading of the coal slime in the grading cyclone, feeding overflow in the grading cyclone into a flotation column through a second feeding pump for flotation, discharging flotation tailings through an underflow port of the flotation column, collecting flotation concentrates through an overflow port of the flotation column and feeding same into a bubble generator through a fourth feeding pump, and the flotation concentrates passing through the bubble generator and being fed from the bottom of a hydraulic flotation machine; and feeding underflow in the grading cyclone into the hydraulic flotation machine through a third feeding pump, for flotation and recovery.

A method for industrial refining of coal ash created in power plants and carbonaceous ashes produced in other combustion processes by separating coal from said ashes and returning it to use and by recovering a substantially coal-free ash fraction obtained in the refining. In the method, coal ash and at least one ash fraction created by gasification technique in combustion plants are carefully proportioned in relation to one another and formed into a slurry mixture by means of an efficient dispersion technique, the slurry being then led to a flotation step, where a fraction rich in coal and a siliceous fraction poor in coal and a fraction dissolving in the process water are separated by flotation. The coal ash is arranged to have the highest proportion in the mixture to be taken to flotation, the ashes from combustion plants being dosed into said mixture in an amount that does not cause the maximum amounts of harmful substances to be exceeded in the qualities of the carbonaceous product and the silicate product poor in coal to be obtained.

A method for industrial refining of coal ash created in power plants and carbonaceous ashes produced in other combustion processes by separating coal from said ashes and returning it to use and by recovering a substantially coal-free ash fraction obtained in the refining. In the method, coal ash and at least one ash fraction created by gasification technique in combustion plants are carefully proportioned in relation to one another and formed into a slurry mixture by means of an efficient dispersion technique, the slurry being then led to a flotation step, where a fraction rich in coal and a siliceous fraction poor in coal and a fraction dissolving in the process water are separated by flotation. The coal ash is arranged to have the highest proportion in the mixture to be taken to flotation, the ashes from combustion plants being dosed into said mixture in an amount that does not cause the maximum amounts of harmful substances to be exceeded in the qualities of the carbonaceous product and the silicate product poor in coal to be obtained.

A method and a system for processing waste material to form a biogas and/or ethanol are disclosed herein. The method comprises subjecting waste material to separation according to specific gravity, to thereby obtain a fraction which is a separated lignocellulose; and processing the separated lignocellulose to obtain the biogas and/or ethanol. The system comprises at least one separator configured for separating materials in waste material according to specific gravity to obtain a first fraction comprising a low density material and a second fraction comprising a high-density material; and a bioreactor or bioreactor system configured for processing the separated lignocellulose to thereby obtain the biogas and/or ethanol. The separator contains an aqueous liquid selected such that a portion of the waste material sinks and another portion does not sink upon contact with the aqueous liquid.

The disclosed methods use a multi-phase system to separate samples according to the density of an analyte of interest. The method uses a multi-phase system that comprises two or more phase-separated solutions and a phase component such as a surfactant or polymer. The density of the analyte of interest differs from the densities of the rest of the sample. The density of the analyte of interest is substantially the same as one or more phases. Thus, when the sample is introduced to the multi-phase system, the analyte of interest migrates to the phase having the same density as the analyte of interest, passing through one or more phases sequentially.

The disclosed methods use a multi-phase system to separate samples according to the density of an analyte of interest. The method uses a multi-phase system that comprises two or more phase-separated solutions and a phase component such as a surfactant or polymer. The density of the analyte of interest differs from the densities of the rest of the sample. The density of the analyte of interest is substantially the same as one or more phases. Thus, when the sample is introduced to the multi-phase system, the analyte of interest migrates to the phase having the same density as the analyte of interest, passing through one or more phases sequentially.