Nur Mohammad Hosseini, Zahra Bahri, Asghar Azizi,
Volume 19, Issue 4 (12-2022)
Abstract
The beneficiation of coal tailings is usually difficult by common oily collectors in the flotation process, so
it is necessary to use a suitable method for clean coal recovery from coal tailing dams. Thus, this study was aimed
to investigate the behavior of dissolved air flotation by zero prewetting time for the clean coal recovery and to
optimize the conditions of zero prewetting time for an effective flotation. In this regards, the effects of the process
parameters, i.e., pH, frother type, collector type on the rougher flotation recovery of coal tailings were assessed and
optimized. Additionally, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to understand the functional
groups of oily collectors on the surface of floated products. The findings indicated that the frother type and the
interactive effects between the type of frother and collector had the most effect on the performance of flotation. It
was also found that under the optimal conditions (150 g/t Methyl isobutyl carbinol, 1500 g/t gas oil, and pH 4), the
combustible recovery, yield reduction factor, and flotation efficiency index of coal reached to 67.79%, 0.056%, and
37%, respectively. Meanwhile, the FTIR analysis confirmed that the less adsorption of gas oil collector occurred in
the presence of SDS (Sodium dodecyl sulfate) as frother due to the interaction of SDS and collectors
