Flotation, also known as foam flotation, is the process of selecting minerals from the slurry by means of the buoyancy of air bubbles based on the differences in the surface properties of various minerals.The importance of foaming agents in flotation is reflected in two aspects. On the one hand, it affects the quantity and quality of air bubbles, and on the other hand, it also affects the contact between mineral particles, which promotes the separation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic mineral particles attached to the air bubbles.It can be seen that the advantages and disadvantages of foaming agents have a direct impact on the flotation index, which in turn affects the efficiency of the enterprise.The following briefly introduces several foaming agents that are currently in high use in the market.

1. Pine oil

Pine oil is a widely used foaming agent in flotation practice. It is obtained by distillation or distillation of pine roots and branches. Its main component is terpenol (C10H17OH).Turpentine is a yellow oily liquid with strong foaming properties and no harvesting capacity. The dosage is about 10-60 g/ton.

2. Cresolic acid and heavy pyridine

Cresolic acid is a by-product of the coking industry and is a mixture of phenols, cresols and dimethyl phenols.Its foaming ability is weaker than that of turpentine, the resulting foam is brittle, and the selectivity is good, which is suitable for the priority flotation of polymetallic sulfide minerals.The disadvantage is that it is more expensive, toxic and flammable.

Heavy pyridine, like cresolic acid, is also a by-product of the coking industry and is mainly composed of pyridine and hydrocarbon oils.The foaming ability is general, and it has a certain ability to capture.

3. Methylisobutyl methanol (MIBC)

In recent years, countries around the world have gradually tended to use synthetic foaming agents, and MIBC is a typical representative.MIBC is a very good foaming agent, colorless and transparent, and is widely used abroad, but because of its high price, it is rarely used in domestic mines.

The advantage of MIBC is that the bubbles it forms are uniform in size, smooth and refreshing, which can reduce the degree of inclusiveness of the foam product and improve the concentrate grade of the product.

In general, it is better to use synthetic foaming agents, because traditional pine oil is obtained from forest resources, which destroys the environment. At the same time, the main component of pine oil is terpenol, which is difficult to biodegradable and will pollute tailings water to a certain extent.For these reasons, only the use of synthetic foaming agents in the mineral processing industry can achieve better economic and social benefits.