Correlation of performance data of silica particle flotations and foaming properties of cationic and nonionic surfactants for the development of selection criteria for flotation auxiliaries

Abstract

In this study, the effect of foaming properties of cationic (CnTAB, n = 10, 12, 14, 16) and nonionic (C13EOm, m = 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and CxEOy, x = 10, 13, 16 and y = 5, 10, 11) surfactants on the efficiency of silica particle removal by foam flotation technology was studied. These two groups of surfactants were selected because they allow for studying the impact of chain length variation of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic chains. To reveal the potential of the surfactants to improve the efficiency of foam flotation for the removal of silica particles their foaming properties were studied by the Bartsch test, the sparing test, and dynamic surface tension measurements. The determined foam parameters such as foamability, foam stability, and foam density were correlated with the most important performance indicators, namely removal and enrichment factor, to identify their impact and significance. The results show a strong correlation between foam flotation performance and foaming properties of the surfactants which are controlled through their molecular structures. The identified correlations will facilitate the selection of suitable surfactants for flotations of real contaminants.