ABSTRACT This study investigated the performance of aggloflotation, a novel hybrid process that combines oil agglomeration and flotation, for the beneficiation of lignite coal from Sivas/Gemerek, Türkiye. The effects of critical process parameters, including depressant (sodium silicate) dosage, collector (kerosene) dosage, frother (methyl isobutyl carbinol) dosage, pulp pH, and solid-liquid ratio, were systematically evaluated. The optimum conditions were determined to be 250 g/t sodium silicate, 250 g/t kerosene, 200 g/t methyl isobutyl carbinol, pH 4, and a solid-liquid ratio of 10%. Under these conditions, the aggloflotation process achieved a yield of 80.92%, a combustible recovery of 91.35% and an ash content of 8.65%. Compared to conventional flotation and oil agglomeration, aggloflotation significantly outperformed both, particularly in reducing ash content while maintaining high recoveries. The process demonstrated efficiency in treating fine and ultrafine coal particles, addressing a significant challenge in the beneficiation of low-rank coals. These results suggest that aggloflotation offers a promising, efficient, and environmentally friendly solution for the cleaning of low-rank coals, with potential implications for enhancing coal utilization in energy production.
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