Flotation chemistry considerations in the development of flotation technology for the trona industry

Trona (Na₂CO₃.NaHCO₃.2H₂O) is a complex salt of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate. Recently, an interesting procedure was discovered at the University of Utah to remove insoluble contaminants from the trona ore using flotation. In this regard, fundamental details regarding the flotation chemistry of soluble salt minerals particularly carbonate and bicarbonate salts are an important consideration in the further development of trona flotation technology for industry. Viscosity measurements of salt solutions, surface tension measurements at the air/brine interface and vibrational spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques have been used for the study of water structure for carbonate and bicarbonate salt solutions.