Froth washing technology in mechanical flotation machines

Abstract

This paper concentrates on the five recent plant trials/applications of froth washing in mechanical flotation cells in North America. Increased froth cleaning yielded better upgrading and some cases slightly improved recovery. At Falconbridge, Ni grade increased from 1.5% to 2.2% and recovery from 85% to 87%. At Eastmaque, final Au grade increased from 2.3 to 2.7 oz/st at a slightly higher recovery. At Les Mines Selbaie, Cu grade increased from 24.5% to 25.9% and Zn grad from 54.5% to 56.1%. At Zinc Corp. of America (ZCA), average Zn grade increased from 55% to 56.8% at the same recovery. At les Mines Niobec, Nb 20 5 losses decreased from 0.25% to 0.17%. Most of these plants in Canada and the USA have evaluated and/or now practicing froth washing more than a year.