Understanding the Collective Effect of Dissolved Ions on the Surface Chemistry of Galena Flotation

This study aimed to investigate the collective effect of commonly found ions in galena flotation. For this purpose, contact angle, bubble–particle attachment time, zeta potential measurements, micro-flotation experiments, and dynamic froth stability analyses, were carried out using artificial plant waters (APWs) at various ion concentrations. As a result of the contact angle and bubble-particle attachment time measurements, the optimum KEX concentration was determined as 50 g/t. The zeta potential measurements, micro-flotation experiments, and DFS analyses in the presence of APWs showed that the zeta potential of galena became less negative in the presence of APWs at greater ion concentrations. The flotation recovery of galena (106 × 75 µm) in the absence of APW and BG increased from 12.1 to 45.9% in the presence of APW1. The DFS analyses indicated that considerably higher froth heights up to 7.7 mm can be obtained in the presence of APWs than in the presence of BG (6.6 mm), related to the ionic strength. The overall experimental results of this study indicated that dissolved ions helped the formation of stable bubbles in the pulp and froth phases, which improved the flotation recovery of galena.