Effect of frothers on removal of unburned carbon from coal-fired power plant fly ash by froth flotation

The effect of single frothers and their blends on bubble size, froth stability, and unburned carbon (UC) flotation performance was studied. Methyl isobutyl carbinol that produces smaller bubbles is efficient in floating ultrafine particles and producing concentrate. DF-250 that gives higher froth stability is effective for recovering coarse particles and improving recovery. The presence of DF-250 in the blend increases bubble size and significantly enhances froth stability, and hence the optimal flotation performance is achieved with 75% DF-250. It indicates that the frother giving high froth stability is better in UC flotation due to the little effect of UC on froth stability.     

Comparison of Internal and External Mixer Spargers in a Laboratory De‐inking Flotation Column

Column flotation has been introduced for waste paper de‐inking to take advantage of low capital cost and excellent separation performance. Bubble generation employs a variety of systems, broadly divided into two types: internal and external. An external in‐line static mixer sparger was tested against an internal porous stainless steel sparger. They were compared in an industrial de‐inking facility using a 10 cm diameter column. Operating conditions were defined and the effect of gas rate, retention time, wash water rate, and froth height on de‐inking was investigated. Both spargers gave similar ink recovery and fiber loss as a function of bubble surface area flux. However, the static mixer gave stable operation while the porous sparger showed evidence of plugging over a 6h test. Combined with some ability to control bubble size, overall the in‐line static mixer gave superior performance.     

Triboelectrostatic Separation of Fly Ash with Different Charging Materials

A combination of mechanical sieving and triboelectrostatic separation were used to separate fly ash. The results indicate that a simple separation of unburned carbon from fly ash is achievable at particle sizes of 74 and 44 microns. Subsequently, triboelectrostatic separations were conducted via a louvered plate separator. The results show that the final carbon content in the products, which can be as low as 1.5 % or as high as 60 % with different mineral components, can be further adjusted with the combination of sieving, louvered plate separator with a tribocharger made of different materials (copper and Teflon), and the location on the louvered plate where the fly ash particles were collected.     

Catalytic effects of inorganic compounds on the development of surface areas of fly ash carbon during steam activation

This study was to investigate the catalytic effect of inorganic compositions present in fly ash carbons, high-unburned-carbon content fly ashes from coal-fired power plants, on the development of surface area during steam activation. Through this work, the relationships between the concentrations of alkali metals (Na and K) and a mixture of metals, Na-K-Ca and Na-K-Fe, in fly ash carbon and the surface areas of the produced activated carbon were studied.Six fly ash carbons were selected as feedstocks for activated carbon. SEM/EDS studies showed that there are two groups of inorganic particles present in fly ash carbons, in terms of the way they are associated with carbon particles: inorganic particles that exist as free single particles, and inorganic particles that are combined with the carbon particles. A series of froth flotation tests was conducted to separate the individual inorganic particles from the fly ash carbons. The concentration of the inorganic particles was analyzed using ICP-AES before and after froth flotation separation. Studies showed that the Na-K, Na-K-Ca, and Na-K-Fe which are combined with carbon particles had catalytic effects on the development of the surface areas of activated carbons. The higher the concentration of these catalytic particles, the more significant effects they had on the development of the surface areas with increasing carbon burn-off levels.     

回收粉煤灰中未燃炭和降低碳含量的浮选研究

针对粉煤灰中未燃炭含量过高不利于大规模综合利用的问题,从理论上分析了浮选回收粉煤灰中未燃炭的基本原理,采用全浮选流程对粉煤灰中未燃炭进行了浮选回收试验,探讨了影响粉煤灰中未燃炭浮选效果的主要因素,确定了适宜的工艺条件。试验结果表明,采用全浮选流程可以使粉煤灰中可燃物降至4.1%左右。     

回收粉煤灰中未燃炭和降低碳含量的选研究

针对粉煤灰中未燃炭含量过高不利于大规模综合利用的问题,从理论上分析了浮选回收粉煤灰中未燃炭的基本原理,采用全浮选流程对粉煤灰中未燃炭进行了浮选回收试验,探讨了影响粉煤灰中未燃炭浮选效果的主要因素,确定了适宜的工艺条件.试验结果表明,采用全浮选流程可以使粉煤灰中可燃物降至4.1%左右.     

Optimization of some parameters in column flotation and a comparison of conventional cell and column cell in terms of flotation performance

In this study, a comparative evaluation was made between column and mechanical flotation cells for fine coal cleaning. In addition, the optimum values of operating parameters were examined, which are important to achieve a desired separation performance in column flotation, such as the frother concentration, the collector dosage, the froth thickness, the wash water rate, the air rate and the feeding rate. The coal sample was collected from a classifying cyclone overflow stream consisting of nominally −130 μm material. Ash, volatile mater, fixed carbon and total sulfur contents of the sample were found to be 47.50%, 20.80%, 31.70% and 0.75%, respectively. Comparison of the column and mechanical flotation results indicated that column flotation was considerably more efficient than mechanical flotation for fine coal cleaning. High froth thickness and wash water addition during column flotation made it possible to obtain cleaner coals. The column flotation produced a 15.60% product ash with a 50.92% clean coal yield and 81.85% combustible recovery.     

Simultaneous Removal of Heavy Metals and PCDD/Fs from Hospital Waste Incinerator Fly Ash by Flotation Assisted with Hydrochloric Acid

Hospital solid waste (HSW) incinerator fly ash was designated as a special controlled waste because of its high concentrations of toxic heavy metals, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). Most of the PCDD/Fs along with carbon constituents including powder activated carbon and unburned carbon in fly ash could be removed by column flotation on the basis of their hydrophobicity. The feasibility of extracting heavy metals from fly ash by adding a little of hydrochloric acid to the slurry during the flotation process was examined in this paper. The results showed that the acidic pulp could contribute to the high extraction ratio of the heavy metals, but the performance of decarburization and removal of PCDD/Fs was inhibited at very low pH value. Given consideration to the removal of two toxic matter including PCDD/Fs and heavy metals in HSW incinerator fly ash, the appropriate pulp pH value should be controlled at about 5. After flotation, both PCDD/Fs and heavy metals in the tailings could simultaneously meet the permitted limits of a landfill site of municipal solid waste in China. It was suggested that flotation with the assistance of an appropriate amount of acid might be a potential technology for the treatment of HSW incinerator fly ash.     

An experimental study of copper sulfide flotation in a packed cyclonic–static microbubble flotation column

A method using a cyclonic–static microbubble flotation column packed with fluid guiding media was proposed for improving flotation efficiency of copper sulfide. The installation of packed fluid guiding media in a cyclonic–static microbubble flotation column was for changing flow pattern in 10 the column by avoiding strong cyclonic flow in the upper region of the column, which can cause bubble-particle detachment. Therefore, the attached particles can be more likely to enter the froth zone instead of swirling in the column. The flow rectification contributed to a smaller bubble size in the column and significantly reduced the number of big bubbles with diameter above 1 mm. This scenario was caused by the damping of swirling liquid motion where bubbles tended to 15 concentrate and coalescence in the center of an eddy. The packed fluid guiding media changed the hydrodynamics in the upper column from a cyclonic flow to a gentle flow and as a result improve the column separation. The application of packed fluid guiding media can decrease the bubble-particle detachment and the flotation recovery of copper sulfide could constantly improve with the installation of packed fluid guiding media in the FCSMC column.     

A study of the bubble properties in the column flotation system

The bubble properties in the column flotation system are deeply affected by the bubble-generator type, frother dosage, and superficial gas velocity. This study is to determine the bubble-generator type, which effectively produces micro-bubbles to affect the flotation efficiency. Characteristics for two types of bubble generators like the in-line mixer and sparger are examined by bubble properties such as bubble diameter, holdup and bubble velocity. Micro bubbles generated from an in-line mixer result in the increase of the bubble rising velocity and gas holdup. Bubbles produced at the in-line mixer were more effective for operating the flotation system than that of the sparger. It means that the in-line mixer bubble generator is more effective than a sparger in designing or operating the column flotation system.     

Fluidization characteristics and charging behavior of fly ash in a vibro-fluidized bed

Fluidization characteristics of fly ash were investigated in a fluidized bed subjected to mechanical vibrations. In the presence of mechanical vibrations, the minimum fluidization velocity decreased from 4.0 to 1.0 mm/s, and the pressure drop increased slightly. The charge-to-mass ratios of fly ash along the fluidized column revealed that charging behavior of fly ash in the freeboard region significantly differed from that in the dense bed region. In the dense bed region, the net charges of fly ash were slightly negative or almost neutral, whereas fly ash in the freeboard region tended to carry positive charges. Loss-on-ignition (LOI) of fly ash was examined in different regions of the fluidized bed, and the results showed that LOI varied considerably inside the column, generally being lower in the freeboard than in the dense bed since finer particles were entrained into the freeboard. In the dense bed, particle–wall collisions resulted in positively charged carbon and negatively charged ash particles, whereas carbon particles in the freeboard region tended to carry negative charges. The findings demonstrate the potential for separating unburned carbon from fly ash by utilizing a vibro-fluidized bed as a tribocharger.     

粉煤灰中残碳的特性和利用

介绍了粉煤灰中残碳和富碳颗粒的特性和分离技术, 论述了残碳特性对颗粒分离和利用的影响, 分析了残碳的利用途径和前景。     

The influence of carbon particle type in fly ashes on mercury adsorption

Recent research has shown that certain fly ash materials produced in coal combustion for power generation have an affinity for the mercury compounds present in flue gases. However, the exact nature of Hg-fly ash interactions is still unknown and the different variables that influence mercury adsorption need to be identified. In this work the microscopic components of fly ashes derived from the combustion of different types of feed blends of different coal rank and mercury adsorption were investigated. The aim of this research was to establish relationships between Hg retention and the type of unburned carbons present in various fly ashes. The fly ashes and fly ash fractions studied were used as sorbent beds for high mercury concentrations, conditions in which mercury retention is highly favored. From the results obtained it was confirmed that the role of the unburned carbon components in mercury capture may depend, among other factors, on the type of unburned carbon. Fly ashes capture different species of mercury depending on their nature and the type of anisotropic particles.     

Triboelectrostatic separation of fly ash and charge reversal

Triboelectrostatic separation has been investigated as a method for separating unburned carbon from coal combustion fly ash. It was found that when a fly ash is exposed to moisture before it undergoes separation, the charging properties of the components of the fly ash change significantly. The mineral and carbon components of the fly ash appear to charge oppositely to how they were charged before exposure to moisture. A correlation was found between the degree of charge reversal and the relative amounts of leachable ions, especially calcium and sodium ions, present on the surface of the ash.     

A novel process for preparation of ultra-clean micronized coal by high pressure water jet comminution technique

A novel process for the preparation of ultra-clean micronized coal is presented in this paper. High pressure water jet mill replacing the ball mill is employed for coal comminution in the new preparation process, which is the essential difference from the traditional one. To compare the new preparation process with the traditional one, the comparison experiments were performed, with froth flotation tests of the fine particles ground by both mills using 0# diesel oil and n-dodecane as collector, 2-octanol as frother, and sink–float separation tests using mixtures of carbon tetrachloride–benzene and carbon tetrachloride–bromoform as dense liquid. Different parameters including combustible recovery, ash content of the clean coal, separation efficiency, and energy consumption were investigated based on the two different preparation processes. The results show that the new preparation process has high combustible recovery, low ash content of the product, high separation efficiency, and low energy consumption compared with the traditional one.The comminution mechanism of high pressure water jet mill is introduced in this paper. The high pressure water jet comminution technique has great potential in coal pulverization, having the advantages of low energy consumption, low iron content, and low equipment wear.     

浮选柱气泡发生器的研究

通过对新型浮选柱气泡发生器的研究,目的在于对工业生产浮柱中出现的具体问题提供解决的途径,并对静态混合器的研究提供可靠的理论依据。     

粉煤灰脱炭研究进展及展望

为了提高粉煤灰质量,实现粉煤灰的高效脱炭技术发展,促进粉煤灰资源可回收利用,介绍了粉煤灰脱炭的3种方法,即浮选法、重选法和电选法,其中,浮选法主要依据矿物的表面性质对粉煤灰进行脱炭;重选法依据矿物密度性质的差异对粉煤灰进行脱炭分离;电选法则依据矿物摩擦带电性质的不同进行分选。同时,对粉煤灰脱炭方法的发展趋势进行了展望,建议未来应深入研究粉煤灰性质,将脱炭方法与新型选矿设备相结合进行工业化生产,创新结合方式,如采取活性油泡与旋流静态微泡浮选柱结合的方式对粉煤灰进行脱炭处理。     

Effects of Energy Input on the Laboratory Column Flotation of Fine Coal

This study explored the effects of energy input and different energy increase patterns on the separation performance of a laboratory cyclonic–static microbubble flotation column in fine coal flotation. The energy input was changed by adjusting the circulating pump power and pulp residence time. Continuous flotation tests were designed by using five feed rates (i.e., different pulp residence time), which were 53.33, 80.00, 106.40, 133.60, and 160.00 g/min, and various useful power of the circulating pump (22.44, 30.14, 38.50, 46.86, 56.10, and 64.46 W). Results show that concentrate combustible recovery initially increased before reaching saturation distribution with increasing energy input absolute value. An ash content of 10.90% and combustible matter recovery of 92.84% were obtained at the energy input of 10098.00 J which is called the flotation saturation energy Es. Es is the essential condition and guarantee for a complete flotation process. A low ash content of clean coal was obtained with low energy input. With the increase of energy consumption, the additional coals recovered were coarse particles with low ash content and fine particles with high ash content. However, the ash content did not exhibit a significant change with the increase of energy input in this investigation. During the flotation process, a minimum critical flotation time T and critical circulation pump useful power P are required. If the P and T of a variable are less than the critical value, high combustible matter recovery could not be obtained by adding another variable to increase energy input. A reasonable mode of energy input was proposed that the absolute value of the energy input reaches Es; meanwhile, it ensures that each value of the P and T is greater than the critical values.     

Improvement of the Flotation Selectivity in a Mechanical Flotation Cell by Ultrasound

In this study, the effect of ultrasound on froth and pulp phases has been investigated in the flotation of two different ore samples, namely barite and chalcopyrite. In order to determine the overall flotation rate constants at various froth depths, incremental recoveries obtained from the flotation tests with and without ultrasound were fitted to a first-order rate equation. Thus, the recoveries of froth and pulp phases were calculated.

The use of ultrasound speeded up the bubble coalescence and therefore reduced the froth phase recovery in the ultrasonic flotation of both barite and chalcopyrite. In addition, the results indicate that there is a considerable effect of ultrasound on the pulp phase recovery in the chalcopyrite flotation whereas no significant differences in the separation performance were obtained from the ultrasonic flotation of barite with and without ultrasound. The results also indicate that a pronounced selectivity effect was obtained from the ultrasonic flotation of both barite and chalcopyrite. The use of ultrasound in the froth remarkably improves the quality of the chalcopyrite concentrate, especially at the shallow froths. Therefore, either effective pulp volume can be increased without sacrificing the separation selectivity or the pulp density can be decreased to obtain better product quality at shallow froths in the ultrasonic flotation of chalcopyrite.     

Effect of microbubbles and particle size on the particle collection in the column flotation

Particle-bubble collection characteristics from microbubble behavior in column flotation have been studied theoretically and experimentally. A flotation model taking into account particle collection has been developed by particle-bubble collision followed by the particle sliding over the bubble during which attachment may occur. Bubble size and bubble swarm velocity were measured as a function of frother dosage and superficial gas velocity to estimate the collision and collection efficiency. Separation tests were carried out to compare with theoretical particle recovery. Fly ash particles in the size range of <38, 38-75, 75-125, >125 mm were used as separation test particles. Theoretical collision and collection efficiencies were estimated by experimental data on the bubble behavior such as bubble size, gas holdup and bubble swarm velocity. Collection efficiency improved with an increase of the bubble size and particle size but decreased in the particle size up to 52 mm. Also, flotation rate constants were estimated to predict the optimum separation condition. From the theoretical results on the flotation rate constant, optimum separation condition was estimated as bubble size of 0.3-0.4 mm and superficial gas velocity of 1.5-2.0 cm/s. A decrease of bubble size improved the collection efficiency but did not improve particle recovery.