ABSTRACT
Froth flotation is the separation process whereby small mineral particles are captured by air bubbles and removed from the slurry as a froth. Consequently, two broad types of reagents are necessary in flotation: reagents to control the wettability of mineral particles and reagents to control foaming or frothing. Effecting selective mineral separations is accomplished by the selective adsorption of surfactants at the solid-liquid interface. The emphasis in this chapter is the delineation of the surface chemical phenomena responsible for the adsorption of surfactants at the mineral-water interface. How adsorption affects wettability, particle-bubble interaction, and flotation response is discussed in detail for various kinds of surfactants and mineral systems. How various other kinds of reagents assist in the control of wetting behavior and flotation response is also presented.
