Eriez® Flotation Group Experiencing Significant Orders for Potash and Phosphate Flotation Systems Worldwide
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Erie, PA - The newly formed Eriez® Flotation Group reports that its potash and phosphate flotation systems continue to be in significant demand, continuing a trend that began in 2009 when the group's sales exceeded $20 million. Eriez attributes the demand to the ability of its dynamically sparged column flotation cells and air-assisted teeter-bed separation technologies to increase the range of recoverable materials in minerals processing operations.
Mechanical flotation cells have been the traditional means for mineral recovery in the processing field. However, widespread application of mechanical cells is limited due to the sizes of particles that they can recover. Extremely coarse (3.00 to 0.60 mm) and ultrafine materials (0.030 to 0.005 mm) cannot be efficiently recovered with mechanical cells due to inherent limitations associated with bubble-particle adhesion, collision rates and related factors associates with the flotation process.
Addressing these limitations, Eriez Flotation Group has introduced column flotation cells that feature the CPT CavTube(TM) advanced hydro-dynamic sparging technology capable of producing finer bubbles than previously possible. The froth washing capability of these flotation columns combined with finer bubble generation results in recovery and grade improvements for fine particles. "The advantage of our CPT CavTube sparger is that it generates picobubbles that readily attach to hydrophobic particles,"
say Jaisen Kohmuench, Manager of the Research & Development Process Group. "Smaller bubble size means a lower ascending velocity that provides more time for bubble-particle attachment."
At the other end of the spectrum, coarse particle recovery is dramatically improved by integrating teeter-bed separation with flotation. The Eriez HydroFloat accommodates the quiescent conditions of teeter-bed separation and the selectivity of the flotation process to increase the recovery rate of coarse and ultra-coarse particles that are typically lost in mechanical cells due to turbulence. The HydroFloat operates like a traditional hindered-bed separator, except that the teeter bed is continuously
Minerals Flotation Group
aerated by injecting compressed air and a frothing agent into the fluidization water. "The HydroFloat offers several important advantages for treating coarse feed streams including improved attachment rates, reduced buoyancy limitations and increased residence time," says Kohmuench. "In some phosphate operations, the recovery of 0.700 mm and larger material is increased to levels in excess of 95 percent."
Eriez Flotation Group was created in 2010 to distinguish the company's minerals processing technologies, facilitate global communications and increase the company's presence in the mining and minerals processing industries. The Group is comprised of a skilled engineering and manufacturing team with substantial experience in metallurgical testing and process consulting. Services range from evaluative studies through equipment design, fabrication and commissioning.
The Eriez Canadian office is located at Unit 1 - 7168 Honeyman Street, Delta, BC Canada, V4G 1G1, and the Brazilian office on Av. Getulio Vargas, n 456-12 Andar, Funcionarios, Belo Horizonte, MG-Brasil CEP 30112-020. Eriez World Headquarters is located at 2200 Asbury Road, Erie, PA 16506. More information is available online at http://www.eriez.com/flotation.
