DAF-dissolved air flotation: Potential applications in the mining and mineral processing industry

Conventional and non-conventional flotation for mineral processing and for water (and wastewaters) treatment and reuse (or recycling) is rapidly broadening their applications in the mining field. Conventional flotation assisted with microbubbles (30-100 mu m) finds application in the recovery of fine mineral particles (< 13 mu m) and flotation with these fine bubbles is being used as a solid/liquid separation to remove pollutants. The injection of small bubbles to conventional coarse bubbles flotation cells usually leads to general improvements of the separation parameters, especially for the ultrafines (< 5 mu m) ore particles. Results obtained are believed to occur by enhancing the capture of particles by bubbles, one of the main drawbacks in fine ore flotation. It is believed that by decreasing the bubble size distribution (through the injection of small bubbles), increases the bubble surface flux and the fines capture. DAF or dissolved air flotation with microbubbles, treating water, wastewater and domestic sewage is known for a number of years and is now gradually entering in the mining environmental area. This technology offers, in most cases, advantages over settling, filtration, precipitation, or adsorption onto natural and synthetic adsorbents. The targets are the removal of oils (emulsified or not), ions (heavy metals and anions) and the reuse or recirculation of the process waters. Advantages include better treated water quality, rapid start up, high rate operation, and a thicker sludge. New applications are found in the mining vehicles washing water treatment and reuse, AMD (acid mining drainage) neutralization and high rate solids/water separation by flotation with microbubbles. This work reviews some recent applications of the use of microbubbles to assist the recovery of very small mineral particles and for the removal of pollutants from mining wastewaters. Emphasis is given to the design features of innovative devices showing the potential of conventional and unconventional DAF flotation. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.