State of the Art in Flotation and Separation of Metallic Minerals

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2025 | Viewed by 98

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Yunnan Key Laboratory of Green Separation and Enrichment of Strategic Mineral Resources, Faculty of Land Resources Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093, China
Interests: froth flotation; flotation chemistry; comprehensive utilization of mineral resources; waste management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Land Resources Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093, China
Interests: mineral processing; froth flotation; flotation chemistry; flotation reagent design
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Land Resources Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093, China
Interests: froth flotation; comprehensive utilization of mineral resources; flotation surface chemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As global demand for metals surges—driven by clean energy technologies, infrastructure development, and electronics—the efficient extraction of valuable minerals from increasingly complex and low-grade deposits has become imperative. Flotation separation, a cornerstone of mineral processing, plays a pivotal role in the sustainable recovery of metal minerals from ores. Traditional physical separation methods often fail to address fine-grained or chemically similar minerals, underscoring the necessity of flotation, which exploits differences in surface hydrophobicity to selectively separate target minerals from gangue. With the continuous development and utilization of metal mineral resources, the grade of target minerals has become increasingly lower, and the composition between minerals has grown more complex. As a result, flotation has emerged as the most efficient method for effectively separating and enriching metal minerals. Innovations in flotation reagents (such as collectors and depressants) and flotation process optimization (including circuit selection, pH control, and particle size adjustment) can enhance the grade and recovery of metal minerals, ultimately improving flotation performance. Additionally, the integration of automation and artificial intelligence-driven process control has revolutionized flotation efficiency. This Special Issue aims to explore advanced research achievements in flotation reagents, flotation processes, and flotation circuits for the efficient flotation separation of metal minerals, to achieve efficient enrichment and recovery of low-grade metal minerals and enhance resource utilization. This holds significant theoretical and practical importance for the efficient and clean utilization of metal mineral resources.

Prof. Dr. Dianwen Liu
Dr. Liuyang Dong
Dr. Peilun Shen
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • mineral processing
  • froth flotation
  • metallic minerals
  • flotation separation and purification
  • flotation reagents

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 4240 KiB  
Article
Sonication-Assisted Surface Erosion and Its Impact on the Flotation of Ultrafine Smithsonite
by Weiguang Zhou, Weiwei Cao, Haobin Wei, Shulan Shi, Chenwei Li and Liuyang Dong
Metals 2025, 15(7), 731; https://doi.org/10.3390/met15070731 - 30 Jun 2025
Abstract
Regulating the dissolution and interfacial behavior of minerals via external force fields is considered a promising strategy for enhancing the flotation of soluble minerals. This study explored the potential of ultrasound-assisted pulp conditioning in improving ultrafine smithsonite flotation. Specifically, we systematically evaluated the [...] Read more.
Regulating the dissolution and interfacial behavior of minerals via external force fields is considered a promising strategy for enhancing the flotation of soluble minerals. This study explored the potential of ultrasound-assisted pulp conditioning in improving ultrafine smithsonite flotation. Specifically, we systematically evaluated the effects of ultrasonic pretreatment (UP) on the physicochemical properties of smithsonite suspensions (focusing on surface erosion behavior) and assessed subsequent flotation performance using flotation tests and modern analytical techniques. It has been found that UP can significantly modify smithsonite suspension characteristics, including particle morphology, ionic composition, electrokinetic properties, and pulp pH. Flotation results demonstrate that UP yields higher recovery compared to traditional stirring (TS) conditioning, especially at medium-to-high sodium oleate (NaOL) concentrations. Comparative analysis reveals that ultrasonic-assisted dissolution and ion-selective migration are the main factors driving improved flotation performance. Unlike TS, UP promotes greater zinc ion release, facilitates the dissolution–hydrolysis–precipitation equilibrium, generates more and finer nanoparticles in the bulk phase, and induces the deposition of hydrozincite on smithsonite surfaces. These changes increase active zinc sites for more stable NaOL adsorption, thereby enhancing the flotation of ultrafine smithsonite particles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State of the Art in Flotation and Separation of Metallic Minerals)
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