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Metals
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Advances in Flotation Separation and Mineral Processing
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Advances in Flotation Separation and Mineral Processing

A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701). This special issue belongs to the section "Extractive Metallurgy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 1988

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Li Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha 410017, China
Interests: flotation of oxide minerals; mineral crystal chemistry; flotation reagent molecular design; mineral/reagent/water interfacial science
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Mengjie Tian

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha 410017, China
Interests: flotation; flotation reagent; flotation collector; flotation technology
Dr. Feng Jiang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha 410017, China
Interests: flotation; sulfide minerals; mineral materials; flotation reagents

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mineral processing is a critical stage in the utilization of mineral resources. Froth flotation is one of the widely used separation techniques in this field. As global mineral resources are continuously developed and exploited, the complexity of these resources—both currently and prospectively mined—continues to increase. Consequently, advancements in both the technology and theory of mineral processing methods, including flotation, are required to meet these growing challenges. This evolution has also catalyzed rapid advancements within this domain. We invite contributions to this Special Issue focusing on the aspects outlined in the keywords, which encompass recent advancements and innovations in flotation separation and mineral processing. These topics will be of direct relevance to researchers and practitioners within the field of mineral processing. We particularly welcome submissions that report on flotation mechanisms, novel flotation reagents, efficient mineral processing equipment, and mineral processing of complex low-grade ores.

Prof. Dr. Li Wang
Dr. Mengjie Tian
Dr. Feng Jiang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • flotation
  • minerals
  • mineral processing
  • flotation reagents
  • reagent chemistry

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 5565 KiB  
Article
Influencing Factors and Mechanisms of Zinc Recovery from Electric Arc Furnace Dust via Microwave-Assisted Carbothermic Reduction
by Kai Wang, Chunyang Lu, Taida Wei, Yuandong Xiong, Jie Ren, Dejin Qiu and Yaowei Yu
Metals 2025, 15(4), 437; https://doi.org/10.3390/met15040437 - 14 Apr 2025
Viewed by 248
Abstract
Electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) is a zinc-containing solid waste generated during steelmaking, and advanced recycling strategies are needed to facilitate the recovery of valuable zinc. This study investigated the microwave-assisted carbothermic reduction in EAFD using coke as a reductant, with a focus [...] Read more.
Electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) is a zinc-containing solid waste generated during steelmaking, and advanced recycling strategies are needed to facilitate the recovery of valuable zinc. This study investigated the microwave-assisted carbothermic reduction in EAFD using coke as a reductant, with a focus on temperature (900–1100 °C), holding time (0–60 min), and the C/Zn molar ratio (3–5). The results demonstrated that the zinc removal rate exhibited positive correlations with both temperature and time. Under optimized conditions (1100 °C, 60 min), a zinc removal rate of 95.45% was achieved, accompanied by a complete decomposition of the ZnO phases. Furthermore, increasing the C/Zn molar ratio enhanced the zinc recovery efficiency and product purity. Isothermal kinetic analyses indicated that the reaction proceeds in two stages: during the initial stage (0–30 min), the process was governed by three-dimensional diffusion control with an activation energy of 146.50 kJ/mol, while the final stage (30–60 min) transitioned to chemical reaction control with an activation energy of 267.32 kJ/mol. Comparative assessments indicated that microwave processing significantly reduced the activation energy compared to conventional heating methods. These findings suggest that microwave-assisted reduction is capable of attaining a high-grade recovery of Zn from EAFD, thus opening up new avenues for the resource-oriented utilization of EAFD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Flotation Separation and Mineral Processing)
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18 pages, 5392 KiB  
Article
Selective Leaching Bastnaesite from Bayan Obo Rare Earth Concentrate and the Recovery Process of Rare Earths, Aluminum, Fluoride and Calcium
by Yanzhu Liu, Huifang Xiao, Lihui Liu, Xiaofan Ye, Xiaoqian Hu, Yanrong Ding and Yongxiu Li
Metals 2025, 15(4), 431; https://doi.org/10.3390/met15040431 - 12 Apr 2025
Viewed by 255
Abstract
Bayan Obo rare earth concentrate (BOREC) is composed of bastnaesite, monazite and fluorite, which is recognized as a refractory mineral in the world. In order to solve the problems of waste gas treatment and comprehensive utilization efficiency of BOREC decomposed by the current [...] Read more.
Bayan Obo rare earth concentrate (BOREC) is composed of bastnaesite, monazite and fluorite, which is recognized as a refractory mineral in the world. In order to solve the problems of waste gas treatment and comprehensive utilization efficiency of BOREC decomposed by the current concentrated sulfuric acid roasting method (500–700 °C), H2SO4-HCl mixed acid assisted by aluminum salt was used to leach out the bastnaesite, and the optimal conditions were determined as follows: c(H+) = 7 mol/L, c(1/2H2SO4):c(HCl) = 5:1, c(Al2(SO4)3) = 0.25 mol/L, temperature 135 °C, liquid–solid ratio of 42:1, and reaction time 3 h. At this time, the leaching rates of concentrate and rare earth (La, Ce, Pr and Nd) were 74.08% and 71.95%, respectively, and the decomposition rate of bastnaesite was 96.83%. At the same time, the yield of calcium sulfate was 77.35% and the purity was 99.22%. Subsequently, sodium sulfate was added with m(Na2SO4):m(RE2O3) = 2.5:1, and the recovery rate of rare earth was 99.5%, and the purity of rare earth double salt product was 98.47% at a temperature of 90 °C. After most of the acid had been extracted with triethyloctanamine, sodium fluoride was added with a fluorine–aluminum ratio of 6:1, sodium carbonate was used to adjust pH = 3, and cryolite was obtained with a purity of 95.59% and an aluminum recovery rate of 99.6% at 90 °C. Since the separation of bastnaesite and monazite has been basically realized in the leaching stage, it is conducive to the docking of subsequent alkali decomposition and recovery of trisodium phosphate, realizing the comprehensive recovery of rare earth, fluorine, calcium, aluminum and phosphorus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Flotation Separation and Mineral Processing)
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13 pages, 4390 KiB  
Article
Froth Flotation for Boehmite Recovery from a Water-Treatment Process Using Electrocoagulation
by Elvin J. Guzmán-Jarquín, Roberto Pérez-Garibay, Francisco A. Acosta-González and Ramón Arellano-Piña
Metals 2025, 15(4), 374; https://doi.org/10.3390/met15040374 - 28 Mar 2025
Viewed by 475
Abstract
Boehmite is an aluminum oxyhydroxide (AlO(OH)) and one of bauxite’s main mineral phases. This mineral is highly valued as an important source of aluminum for the metallurgical industry. However, the formation of synthetic boehmite has been observed in water treatment when aluminum anodes [...] Read more.
Boehmite is an aluminum oxyhydroxide (AlO(OH)) and one of bauxite’s main mineral phases. This mineral is highly valued as an important source of aluminum for the metallurgical industry. However, the formation of synthetic boehmite has been observed in water treatment when aluminum anodes are used for electrocoagulation. This boehmite occurs in flocs that capture impurities from the water, but removing these flocs is a slow process. Therefore, the froth-flotation method was employed in the present study to float synthetic boehmite. This was achieved by evaluating the particle size of synthetic boehmite, generating microbubbles, and using an anionic collector system in a novel experimental setup. The results show that the surfactants sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and potassium oleate (PO) favor the recovery of synthetic boehmite in different particle sizes, with the particle size favored related to the bubble size generated. It was noted that increasing the SDS concentration enabled the microbubbles to recover up to 95% of boehmite particles with diameters of less than 30 microns. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Flotation Separation and Mineral Processing)
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13 pages, 4546 KiB  
Article
Efficient and Green Flotation Separation of Molybdenite from Chalcopyrite Using 1-Thioglycerol as Depressant
by Feng Jiang, Shuai He, Wei Sun, Yuanjia Luo and Honghu Tang
Metals 2025, 15(3), 299; https://doi.org/10.3390/met15030299 - 9 Mar 2025
Viewed by 610
Abstract
The effective and environmental separation of chalcopyrite and molybdenite has long presented a challenge in mineral processing due to their similar floatability and close association at room temperature. This study explores the non-toxic 1-thioglycerol (1-TG) as a selective depressant for chalcopyrite–molybdenite flotation separation. [...] Read more.
The effective and environmental separation of chalcopyrite and molybdenite has long presented a challenge in mineral processing due to their similar floatability and close association at room temperature. This study explores the non-toxic 1-thioglycerol (1-TG) as a selective depressant for chalcopyrite–molybdenite flotation separation. An impressive separation effect was realized through single-mineral and mixed-mineral flotation experiments when using 1-TG as a depressant and kerosene as a collector. Contact angle measurements, zeta potential tests, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) confirm the selective adsorption of 1-TG on the chalcopyrite surface, leading to enhanced surface hydrophilicity and the inhibition of collector adsorption. The depression mechanism is further elucidated through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), which demonstrates that it occurs via chemosorption between the thiol group in 1-TG and active iron sites on the chalcopyrite surface. These findings provide a potential efficient depressant for chalcopyrite–molybdenite flotation separation with low dosage, environmental friendliness, and human harmlessness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Flotation Separation and Mineral Processing)
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