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ABSTRACT
Pulp conditioning is a necessary procedure in the coal flotation industry, and optimizing the power input of such processes is in favor of improving flotation efficiency and reducing costs. This paper applied a pulp conditioning system combined with the focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM) to investigate the impact of power input on coal flotation. Under the same energy input, the highest flotation efficiency of 50.09% was achieved in a pulp conditioning pattern of 1800 rpm-3 min, but the flotation efficiency reached only 36.13% in 1200 rpm-7.2 min. The kerosene collector can disperse into large numbers of droplets that exceed 2000 counts/s at size fractions of −10 μm and 20–50 μm in high power input and achieve better adsorption on coal. In the pulp conditioning process, the coal particle numbers of −50 μm size fraction decreased significantly from 15,000 counts/s to nearly 8000 counts/s at 32.3 W power input and coarse aggregates of 50–1000 μm size were detected. Under high power input conditions caused by high agitation speed, extra energy contributed validly to the kinetic energy of coal particles/collector droplets and the generation of oil-water and oil–coal interfaces. The shear flocculation behavior induced by the high power inputs in pulp conditioning is favorable for the flotation recovery of fine and ultra-fine particles.
Acknowledgements
Gen Huang wants to acknowledge the financial support (Grant No. 201806435007) from the China Scholarship Council (CSC) for his visiting study at the University of Alberta.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Supplemental material
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/15567036.2024.2382917
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Notes on contributors
Gen Huang
Gen Huang received a PhD degree of mineral processing engineering in 2013 from the China University of Mining and Technology, Jiangsu, China. He has been working at the China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing) since then, and currently conducting research and teaching as an associate professor. He majorly focused on the areas of processing and utilization of coal, metallic and non-metallic ore beneficiation, and comprehensive utilization of mineral resources.
Zhe Yang
Zhe Yang earned a Bachelor’s degree in 2019 and a Master’s degree in 2022 from China University of Mining and Technology in Jiangsu, China. He is currently studying for a degree of PhD at the China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing) with research topics regarding froth flotation and interface science.
Yujia Zhao
Yujia Zhao received a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Shanxi Datong University in 2022 in Shanxi, China. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing).
Xiaoli Sun
Xiaoli Sun received a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Henan Polytechnic University in 2022 in Henan. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree at the China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing).
Biao Yang
Biao Yang earned a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Shandong University of Technology in 2022. He is studying for a Master’s degree at the China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing).
Luyang Wang
Luyang Wang received a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Henan Polytechnic University in 2022 in Henan. He is currently studying for a Master’s degree at the China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing).