Sharp maxima in the flotation rate

Abstract

The steady-state flotation rates of crystalline tin oxide, quartz, and glass, measured as a function of the reduced surfactant concentration (c/CMC), show sharp maxima at concentration values which are characteristic for a given mineral, and independent of the pH. A comparison of the flotation measurements using glass beads and ground glass particles shows that the flotation kinetics are strongly inflenced by the surface edges. The sharp decline in the flotation rate at the high concentration side of the maxima is interpreted as being due to the formation of “rod-like (ad)micelles” along the surface edges. In the presence of bivalent counter ions a second bilayer forms and gives rise to a second maximum in the flotation rate.