Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

Water is a process medium in many industrial applications, including mineral processing, oil sands extraction, and coal washing. Fresh water is also a limited resource essential to life. Industrial use of potable water is being viewed with increasing scrutiny around the world. Recycling/reuse of process water is an essential step to reduce or eliminate the intake of fresh water and minimize the disposal of spent water for environment protection. The problems with fresh water usage in the resources industries in arid regions are more acute. In many regions over the world, seawater is the only possible water source that can be accessed by the resources industry. The use of recycled process water, or seawater, however, entails the problem of elevated ionic concentrations. The ionic species and concentration of recycled high saline water used for mineral processing have a profound impact on ore processability. Understanding the impact of ionic species in recycled/saline water on flotation performance is critical to the continued operation of mineral processing plants and sustainable development of the minerals industry. The objectives of this research are to address the challenges of sulfide mineral flotation in recycled/saline water. The research is directed towards innovative strategies utilizing advanced surface chemical analysis tools to understand the fundamentals controlling particular aspects of sulfide mineral flotation in high saline water. This research proposal will address the needs and challenges to reduce the use of fresh water and minimize the disposal of spent water for environmental protection, and to increase the recovery of valuable minerals in froth flotation utilizing recycled process water. Building a solid understanding of the interfacial science and flotation chemistry of sulfide minerals in saline water would allow sea water to be used as an alternative processing medium for operations where fresh water is not available.