A study on the flotation properties of a new sustainable frother based on cellulose and short-chain alcohol mixtures

¹ Department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, PO Box 16200, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland
² Geological Survey of Finland, PO Box 96, FI-02151 Espoo, Finland

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Among the major challenges facing the mineral processing industry is the simultaneous need to increase productivity while reducing environmental impact. This study explores the potential of polymer- surfactant (PS) mixture composed of short-chain alcohols combined with hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) as a new environmentally friendly frother produced from sustainable sources. Ethanol, pentanol, and octanol were evaluated as surfactant fraction due to their availability and relatively low cost, alongside the polyglycol based commercial frother (Dowfroth 200) as a benchmark. The result demonstrates that longer-chain alcohols are more effective at preventing bubble coalescence, longer-chain alcohol achieving unimodal distributions at lower concentrations. Interestingly, HPMC exhibited unique behavior due to its macromolecular structure, forming a stable yet slow-diffusing layer around bubbles, resulting in bimodal distributions even at higher concentrations. Mixtures of HPMC and alcohols, particularly pentanol and octanol, show synergistic effects that enhance the initial stabilization of the air-liquid interface, facilitating unimodal distributions at relatively low concentrations. These findings offer valuable insights for optimizing frother formulations to improve flotation efficiency.