US 12,070,757 B2
Engulfed nano/micro bubbles for improved recovery of large particles in a flotation cell
Julia Baldauf, South Melbourne (AU); Alexe Bojovschi, Lilydale (AU); and Stephen Moore, Melbourne (AU)
Assigned to International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US)
Filed by International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US)
Filed on Apr. 19, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/389,184.
Application 16/389,184 is a division of application No. 14/799,432, filed on Jul. 14, 2015, granted, now 10,315,202.
Prior Publication US 2019/0240678 A1, Aug. 8, 2019
Int. Cl. B03D 1/24 (2006.01); B03D 1/02 (2006.01); B03D 1/14 (2006.01); C02F 1/24 (2023.01); B03D 1/16 (2006.01)
CPC B03D 1/24 (2013.01) [B03D 1/025 (2013.01); B03D 1/1443 (2013.01); C02F 1/24 (2013.01); B03D 1/02 (2013.01); B03D 1/16 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A froth flotation apparatus for recovery of selected particles from a mixture of particles, the froth flotation apparatus comprising:
a single flotation column;
a partition physically dividing the single flotation column into a first region and a second region, the second region abutting the first region along a length thereof;
a conveyor having a conveyor belt for supplying the mixture of particles to the single flotation column, the particles of said mixture having a surfactant sprayed thereon;
an inlet having an opening at a side surface of the flotation column at said first region for receiving, from said conveyor belt, the mixture of particles at said first region;
a smaller bubble generator for supplying to the first region first-size bubbles having a first predetermined size to expose the mixture of particles therein to the first-size bubbles, wherein some of the first-size bubbles adhere to surfaces of a selected group of particles of the mixture of particles, the first-size bubbles being supplied to said first region via a slanted conveyance system, said inlet situated above the slanted conveyance system such that the mixture of particles are conducted downward through the first region while the first-size bubbles supplied via the slanted conveyance system are conducted upward through the first region;
an opening at said dividing partition permitting a flow of the selected group of particles having the first-size bubbles adhered to surfaces thereof from said first region to said second region, said second region for receiving from the first region, via the opening, the mixture of particles including the selected group of particles with some of the first-size bubbles adhered thereto; and
a larger bubble generator for supplying second-size bubbles to the second region to expose the selected group of particles, with the some of the first-size bubbles adhered thereto, to the second-size bubbles, wherein said second predetermined size is at least ten times larger than the first predetermined size, and the second-size bubbles adhere to the surfaces of the selected group of particles and engulf some of the first-size bubbles on the surfaces of the selected group of particles, and the selected group of particles rise to an outlet of the froth flotation apparatus and separate from other particles in the mixture of particles, wherein said conveyor belt is provided with orifices that allow excess surfactant sprayed on said mixture of particles to be collected.