Froth Flotation and its Application to Concentration of Low Grade Iron Ores

Abstract

Froth flotation is a process used to separate minerals, suspended in liquids, by attaching them to gas bubbles to provide selective levitation of the solid particles. It is most extensively used process for the separation of chemi-cally similar minerals, and to concentrate ores for econo-mical smelting. Flotation is a selective process and can be used to achieve separation from complex ores such as lead-zinc, copper- zinc etc.Initially developed to treat the sulphides of copper, lead, and zinc, the field of flotation has now expanded to include oxides, such as hematite and cassiterite, oxidised minerals, such as mala-chite and cerussite, and non-metallic ores, such as fluo-rite, phosphates, and fine coal.