Experimental research on combined magnetic separation and flotation for coal gasification fine slag

Abstract

ABSTRACT To address the challenging issue of achieving high-precision carbon-ash separation in coal gasification fine slag, magnetic separation and flotation techniques were employed to study their respective separation effect. Optimization tests were conducted to determine the optimal magnetic field gradient and magnetic field intensity, and the ash content of magnetic separation concentrates was 72.18%, with a reduction of 7.28% compared to the sample. Additionally, the magnetic separation tailings exhibited an ash content of 93.99%. Through flotation tests, the optimum conditions for kerosene and composite collector was established. The ash content of flotation concentrates decreased by 16.39% compared to the sample, and the ash content of flotation tailings was 95.83%. A comparative analysis revealed that the combined separation process outperforms single separation methods in reducing the ash content of the concentrates, and realize the further quality improvement and separation effect. Detailed analysis of magnetic characteristics and XRD, XPS analysis studies on the sample and the products, indicated that the magnetic separation effectively pre-removes a certain amount of magnetic high ash minerals. Furthermore, the collector treatment significantly increased hydrophobicity difference between residual carbon and ash matter, which ultimately enhancing the flotation effect.