• Resources Recycling
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.45-54
• /
• 2018

This study aimed to investigate the effects of mechanical factors such as agitation speed and air rate in fly ash flotation. Specifically, we used thermal power plant fly ash with unburned carbon content of 3.4 to 3.7%. The effect of pH, agitation speed, collector dosage, and frother dosage - the key factors of froth flotation - showed unburned carbon recovery and unburned carbon content of 63% and 34%, respectively, when the dosage of safflower oil used as collector was 800 g/ton, pH was 7, agitation speed was 1,200 rpm, and frother dosage was 400 g/ton. The SEM/EDS analysis of fly ash in that case indicated that the spherical fly ash particles lowered the unburned carbon content as they floated with the air bubbles without being dissolved in the unburned carbon or settled in the ore solution. The other experiment of changing the mechanical factors such as agitation speed and air rate resulted in unburned carbon recovery and unburned carbon content of 74% and 67%, respectively, at air rate of 8 L/min and agitation speed of 900 rpm. The recovery and unburned carbon content increased as the low agitation speed and additional air injection decreased the strength of the eddy current in the ore solution and consequently prevented the floating of fine fly ash particles with unburned carbon. In addition, the recovery rate and unburned carbon increased further to 80% and 70%, respectively, showing the best performance when the agitation speed and air rate were lowered to 800 rpm and 6 L/min, respectively.