Experimental and DFT Study on Interaction of Flotation Reagents with Mineral Surfaces
A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 October 2025 | Viewed by 50
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Reagents molecules such as collectors and depressants have been utilized for over 100 years in the minerals processing industry. However, as high-grade reserves are depleted, the focus is shifting towards low-grade reserves. Furthermore, new deposits are being explored alongside minerals that have traditionally been considered less valuable; a detailed understanding of their recovery is therefore required. In particular, the demand for crystal energy minerals is increasing due to the current popularity of green energy and electric vehicles. These aspects necessitate a thorough investigation of the design and testing of novel reagents and an understanding of their interactions with various minerals. Density functional theory (DFT) has been utilized extensively over the years and is effective in describing the interaction of minerals with flotation reagents. In addition, DFT is a viable tool for screening a wide range of reagents prior to their synthesis, thus reducing the cost and duration of laboratory tests. Furthermore, the results obtained using DFT have been found to correlate well with experiments. Although DFT is a viable tool, validation through experiments is required before the reagents can be employed in processing plants. Therefore, the adaptation of DFT and experiments is crucial to advancing the minerals processing industry. This Special Issue aims to present innovative advances in DFT and experiments regarding the interaction of flotation reagents with mineral surfaces. These combined methods could provide valuable information concerning the enhancement of mineral recovery in the minerals processing industry.
This Special Issue welcomes submissions that present original scientific research relating to DFT and the interaction between flotation reagents and mineral surfaces from well-known and/or new minerals deposits. This Special Issue focuses on the following topics: (1) the design and synthesis of flotation reagents; (2) the processing of new deposits and critical minerals for energy; and (3) the application of combined methods to understand the interaction/adsorption of flotation reagents with/on the surface of minerals and highlight the best process for enhancing the recovery of minerals.
Dr. Peace P. Mkhonto
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- mineral processing
- DFT simulations
- reagent design
- flotation reagents
- mineral surface adsorption
- critical energy minerals
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