Zircon mineral solids concentrated from Athabasca oil sands froth treatment tailings: Surface chemistry and flotation properties |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Energy, Mining and Environment, National Research Council Canada, Bldg M-12, 1200 Montreal Road, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6, Canada;2. Titanium Corporation, 1400-10025 106 St NW, Edmonton, Alberta T5J 1G4, Canada;1. Department of Chemical Engineering, City College of New York, New York, NY, USA;2. Energy Institute, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA;1. College of Chemical Engineering, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, China;2. Key Laboratory of Green Process and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China;1. Automation and Supervision Centre for Mining Industry, CASIM, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Federico Santa María Technical University, P.O. Box 110-V, Valparaíso, Chile;2. Department of Mining and Materials Engineering, McGill University, 3610 University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0C5, Canada;1. Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA;2. Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA |
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| Abstract: | Zircon mineral solids concentrated from Athabasca oil sands froth treatment tailings were compared by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and collector-assisted froth flotation before and after surface cleaning in a low temperature, radio-frequency oxygen plasma. Plasma cleaning was effective at removing a surface bound layer of organic matter having chemical markers consistent with bituminous fractions. Specifically, the observation of long-chain aliphatics, ester and ether linkages, aromatic indicators, and hydroxyls in the absence of carboxylic acid groups, suggested the surface organic layer was representative of asphaltene or resin. Supporting this interpretation was the identification of pyrrolic and thiophenic chemical states. Plasma degradation of the hydrocarbon component transformed the zircon particles from hydrophobic to hydrophilic as evidenced by their recovery in water/ethanol froth flotation tests. The cleaned zircon particles were subsequently collected in the froth using dodecylamine. This work explains the surface conditions responsible for the reporting of zircon to the froth treatment tailings and demonstrates the efficacy of plasma cleaning as a means to condition zircon for coupling with collector agents. A physical model of surface adsorption is discussed and process implications are considered. |
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| Keywords: | Zircon Froth flotation Oil sands XPS IR spectroscopy Plasma treatment |
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