Abstract
The present investigation on the action of a frother in flotation was undertaken in order to make clear the composition of some typical commercial frothers and to clarify its influence on the floatability of mineral particles in view of the mineral-to-frother wettability.
In the first place, the chemical composition of the commercial frothers tested was determined by gas chromatography. Then, the floatability of galena was measured by flotation tests using each of pure reagents such as a-terpineol, cineol and D-limonene, and their mixtures. The galena-to-frother wettability was determined by means of capillary penetration tests using each of the same pure reagents and mixtures.
Results obtained are as follows;
I. The frothers used in the tests contained large amounts of a-terpineol, small amounts of cineol and D-limonene, and others (monocyclic terpenes such as terpinolene and dipentene).
2. The floatability of galena and the galena-to-frother wettability increased with increasing the content of D-limonene in the frother.
3. The floatability of galena and the galena-to-frother wettability had a good correlation to each other.
From these results, it can be considered that the role of D-limonene is not only to keep a good frothing chracteristic but also to intensify the floatability of galena in floaation. It seems that in the action of a frother the affinity between the frothing agent and the mineral particle is an important factor in flotation.
