The present disclosure provides a method for redistributing a flake material, in particular a two-dimensional nano flake material, into at least two flake size fractions, each of which having smaller flake size variance than the flake material. The method comprises providing a dispersion of the flake material in a liquid, wherein the flake material is not atomized in the liquid, arranging the dispersion in a container, percolating gas bubbles upwardly through the dispersion, for a time sufficient to allow the flake material to redistribute itself in the liquid with larger sized flakes higher up in the liquid and smaller sized flakes lower down in the liquid, and extracting at least one of the flake fractions from a limited vertical level of the container.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods from processing flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum feedstock and ash feedstocks, either separately or together. FGD gypsum conversion comprises reacting FGD gypsum (calcium sulfate) feedstock or phosphogypsum, in either batch or continuous mode, with ammonium carbonate reagent to produce commercial products comprising ammonium sulfate and calcium carbonate. A process to separate the impurities and convert the calcium carbonate to a pure precipitated calcium carbonate is disclosed. These impurities include a concentrate of valuable Rare Earth Elements, and radioactive thorium and uranium. A process to convert calcium sulfite to calcium sulfate using oxygen and a catalyst is also disclosed. Ash conversion comprises a leach process followed by a sequential precipitation process to selectively precipitate products at predetermined pHs resulting in metal hydroxides which may be converted to oxides or carbonates. The processes may be controlled by use of one or more processors.

A method for stabilising a froth or a foam comprising subjecting the froth or foam to vibrations or sound waves having a frequency of less than 20 kHz. The frequency may be less than 1 kHz, for example, a frequency of from 300 Hz to 500 Hz, or from 300 to 450 Hz, or from 300 to 400 Hz. A method for froth flotation is also described.

A separation system is disclosed for separating selected particles from a mixture of particles in a fluid. The system includes a froth flotation vessel into which in use the mixture of particles and fluid are subjected to an upward flow of an introduced gas to form a froth layer which rises above an interface formed between the froth layer and the mixture of particles and fluid, such that a quantity of the selected particles is conveyed out of the vessel by the froth layer to become a first product of the system. The vessel also has a first outlet arranged in use for receiving a flow of some of the mixture of particles and fluid from the vessel, an entry to the first outlet being located in a region proximate to, but below, the interface. The vessel also has a second outlet arranged in use for receiving a flow of some of the mixture of particles and fluid from a region of the vessel which is located below the first outlet. In use the first outlet receives a quantity of the selected particles which were not conveyed out of the vessel by the froth layer, and the second outlet receives a quantity of the selected particles in a first by-product of the system. The first by-product comprises a relatively higher percentage of solids compared to the flow of particles and fluid in the first outlet. The flow of the mixture of particles and fluid from the vessel via the first outlet passes to a classification device, which separates the flow into two or more fractions on the basis of their size or density or a combination of the two.

The invention relates to esterquats which can be obtained by reacting di- or trialkanolamines with a mixture of fatty acids and polycarboxylic acids, and the esters obtained in this manner are then quaternized with an alkylating agent, wherein the di- or trialkanolamines correspond to formula (I), ##STR00001##
in which R1 and R2 independently of one another represent hydroxyalkyl groups with 1 to 20 carbon atoms, hydroxyalkenyl groups with 2 to 20 carbon atoms and 1, 2, or 3 double bonds, or addition products of 1 to 20 mol ethylene oxide on a hydroxyethyl group and R3 represents hydrogen, an alkyl group with 1 to 20 carbon atoms, an alkenyl group with 2 to 20 carbon atoms and 1, 2, or 3 double bonds, a hydroxyalkyl group with 1 to 20 carbon atoms, a hydroxyalkenyl group with 2 to 20 carbon atoms and 1, 2, or 3 double bonds, or addition products of 1 to 20 mol ethylene oxide on a hydroxyethyl group; the fatty acids correspond to formula (II),
R.sup.4—COOH  (II)
in which R4 represents an aliphatic, linear, or branched hydrocarbon group with 5 to 29 carbon atoms and 0, 1, 2, or 3 double bonds; and the polycarboxylic acids correspond to formula (III), ##STR00002##
in which Y represents a carbon atom or a saturated or unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group with 2 to 5 carbon atoms, said group optionally having one or more hydroxyl groups, and X represents hydrogen or a hydroxy- or carboxylic acid group. The invention also relates to the use of said esterquats as collectors for the flotation of non-sulfidic minerals.

The invention relates to esterquats which can be obtained by reacting di- or trialkanolamines with a mixture of fatty acids and polycarboxylic acids, and the esters obtained in this manner are then quaternized with an alkylating agent, wherein the di- or trialkanolamines correspond to formula (I), ##STR00001##
in which R1 and R2 independently of one another represent hydroxyalkyl groups with 1 to 20 carbon atoms, hydroxyalkenyl groups with 2 to 20 carbon atoms and 1, 2, or 3 double bonds, or addition products of 1 to 20 mol ethylene oxide on a hydroxyethyl group and R3 represents hydrogen, an alkyl group with 1 to 20 carbon atoms, an alkenyl group with 2 to 20 carbon atoms and 1, 2, or 3 double bonds, a hydroxyalkyl group with 1 to 20 carbon atoms, a hydroxyalkenyl group with 2 to 20 carbon atoms and 1, 2, or 3 double bonds, or addition products of 1 to 20 mol ethylene oxide on a hydroxyethyl group; the fatty acids correspond to formula (II),
R.sup.4—COOH  (II)
in which R4 represents an aliphatic, linear, or branched hydrocarbon group with 5 to 29 carbon atoms and 0, 1, 2, or 3 double bonds; and the polycarboxylic acids correspond to formula (III), ##STR00002##
in which Y represents a carbon atom or a saturated or unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group with 2 to 5 carbon atoms, said group optionally having one or more hydroxyl groups, and X represents hydrogen or a hydroxy- or carboxylic acid group. The invention also relates to the use of said esterquats as collectors for the flotation of non-sulfidic minerals.

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a concentrate enriched in a phosphate mineral content from an ore, which contains a phosphate mineral and a non-phosphate mineral, by a flotation, which method comprises the step of adding a surfactant system comprising (A) a fatty acid, (B) a blend of ethoxylated and non-ethoxylated alcohols, which is obtainable by blending (i) a reaction product of a first C.sub.12-C.sub.16 aliphatic alcohol having an average degree of branching of 1.9 to 3.5 and 10 to 20 equivalents of ethylene oxide, and (ii) a second C.sub.12-C.sub.16 aliphatic alcohol having an average degree of branching of 1.9 to 3.5, wherein the amount of (i) is 80 to 95 wt. % and the amount of (ii) is 5 to 20 wt. % and wt. % is based on the overall weight of the mixture of ethoxylated and non-ethoxylated alcohols, to a prepared aqueous pulp of the ore and optionally one or more flotation auxiliaries to obtain an aqueous mixture. Furthermore, a use of the surfactant system as flotation collector is disclosed.

Present disclosure discloses a method and a system for enhancing the efficiency of froth flotation process for coal beneficiation. The method receives a water hardness value and an agitator speed value corresponding to water and an agitator involved in the froth floatation process. The water hardness value is received from a hardness analyzer. Thereafter, the method analyzes the agitator speed value vis-à-vis an optimal speed value required to achieve one or more target parameter values during the froth floatation process based on the water hardness value. Subsequently, the method implements a pretrained model, based on the analyzing, to adjust the agitator speed value to the optimal speed value in such a manner that the one or more target parameter values are achieved during the froth floatation process. This approach allows continuous optimization of the agitator speed value, which in turn enhances the efficiency of froth flotation process.

According to the invention there is provided a method of processing a mixture of minerals including the steps of: (a) providing a mixture of minerals which includes a metal containing mineral and one or more unwanted gangue minerals; (b) achieving a contact between the mixture of minerals and polymeric material that includes a mineral binding moiety which selectively binds to the metal containing mineral; and (c) separating the gangue minerals and the polymeric material which has the metal containing mineral bound thereto.

This disclosure relates to new filtration systems, granular substrates, granular media and processes that are highly effective for removing suspended oil, particulates and oily particulates from an oil-water mixture. The new filtration media comprises a microporous granular substrate having a combination of specified micro-porosity, hardness and additional characteristics, the substrate being modified by an infused or coated absorption composition. This resulting filtration media displays excellent filtration performance, including outstanding durability and robustness to sustain its excellent performance over a large number of backwash cycles.