Apparatus uses engineered collection media to recover mineral particles in a mineral extraction process, e.g., for processing a tailings stream at the end of a flotation separation process. The engineered collection media are added to slurry/tailings containing the mineral particles. The engineered collection media have collection surfaces coated with a chemical selected for attracting the mineral particles to the collection surfaces so the engineered collection media becomes mineral laden media in the slurry/tailings in a loading stage. The apparatus include three stages: removing unwanted material from mineral laden media; using a stripping agent to strip the mineral particles from the mineral laden media; and separating the engineered collection media from the mineral particles and the stripping agent. The stripping agent is reused for stripping, and the engineered collection media are returned to the loading stage. The engineered collection media can have a smooth or foam-like surface.

Apparatus is provided featuring a first and second cells. The first cell receives an ore slurry having mineral particles of interest, receives unexpanded polymer microspheres comprising a surface having mineral collector chemistry attached thereto with molecules for attaching the mineral particles of interest, causes the unexpanded polymer microspheres to expand substantially in volume into expanded polymer microspheres having a substantially increased sphere surface area, and provides an expanded polymer microsphere foam layer comprising the expanded polymer microspheres with attached mineral particles of interest. The second cell receives the expanded polymer microsphere foam layer, and causes the expanded polymer microspheres to collapse substantially in volume into collapsed polymer microspheres having a substantially reduced sphere surface area that results in a mechanical shearing off of the attached mineral particles of interest. The second cell may also provide a mineral concentrate output having the mineral particles of interest.

The present invention relates to a process for the separation of at least one hydrophobic or hydrophobized material from a dispersion comprising said at least one hydrophobic or hydrophobized material and at least one second material. The process according to the present invention comprises the steps (A) to (D) which are described herein.

An apparatus for foam separation comprises a foam separation cell (12; 112; 212) provided with a treatment chamber (13), inside of which a flow of liquid containing material to be separated can be introduced. The apparatus further comprises one or more devices (21, 27) for introducing and/or generating air bubbles, useful to carry out the foam separation between the hydrophobic material and the hydrophilic material.

Separation of hydrophobic particles from a mixture of particles in a fluid is performed by providing a fluidized bed as a relatively non-turbulent contacting mechanism in a flotation cell incorporating a settling chamber located immediately above the fluidized bed. Hydrophobic particles attach to bubbles in the fluidized bed and rise to the interface with the settling chamber where non-hydrophobic particles flow over the lip of an internal launder and are removed as tailings at. The hydrophobic particles attached to bubbles float upwardly in the relatively placid settling chamber where unwanted gangue can fall back to interface. The bubbles form a froth layer at the upper surface of the settling chamber, and flow over the launder lip carrying the hydrophobic particles. An operation of the apparatus is kept stable by recirculating fluid from the settling chamber via pip and pump to mix with new feed entering at duct.

A water-based extraction process for extracting bitumen from mined oil is provided comprising providing a water-based mixture containing bitumen; and introducing nanobubbles to the mixture to attach to bitumen and, thereby, extract the bitumen from the water-based mixture, wherein a nanobubble has a diameter of less than 5,000 nm.

The present invention provides new techniques related to magnetically controllable and/or steerable froth for use in separation processes of mineral-bearing ore and bitumen. Apparatus is provided featuring a processor configured to contain a fluidic medium having a material-of-interest and also having a surfactant with magnetic properties so as to cause the formation of a froth layer that contains at least some of the material-of-interest and is magnetically responsive; and a magnetic field generator configured to generate a magnetic field and provide non-mechanical mixing and steering/driving of the froth layer in the processor. The material-of-interest may be mineral-bearing ore particles or bitumen. The processor includes a flotation tank, a primary separation vessel (PSV), or a pipe, including a tailings pipeline. The pipe has a non-magnetic pipe section, and the magnetic field generator includes a magnetic coil arranged in relation to non-magnetic pipe section to generate the magnetic field and provide the non-mechanical mixing and steering/driving of the froth layer in the pipe.

Described herein is a method for the recovery of two major valuable lithium minerals (amblygonite and spodumene), a cesium mineral (pollucite) and quartz. The method comprises a series of direct flotation processes combined with reverse flotation processes that were designed to recover these lithium and cesium concentrates.

A flotation machine includes a wash water system that is connectable adjacent a tank to direct sprays of water into froth within a froth zone. Wash water panel assemblies of the system can be positioned adjacent the tank so that each of the wash water panel assemblies are moveable between an open position and a closed position. Each wash water panel assembly can include an outer panel body that at least partially defines a reservoir in which wash water is passable and a spray membrane positionable adjacent the outer panel body. The spray membrane can have a plurality of spray holes in fluid communication with the reservoir such that water is passable from the reservoir and through the spray membrane via the spray holes for spraying water into the froth in the froth zone.

A system for separating competing anions from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in a flow of water contaminated with PFAS and elevated levels of competing anions that includes a separation subsystem which receives the flow of water contaminated with PFAS and elevated levels of competing anions and separates competing anions from the PFAS and concentrates the PFAS to produce a treated flow of water having separated competing anions therein and a flow of water having a majority of PFAS therein. At least one anion exchange vessel having an anion exchange resin therein receives the flow of water having a majority of PFAS therein and removes PFAS from the water to produce a flow of treated water having a majority of the PFAS removed. The separation of competing anions by the separation subsystem increases the treatment capacity of the anion exchange resin to remove PFAS from the contaminated water.