Flotation reagents refer to the agents used in mineral flotation process, which can adjust the flotation behavior of minerals thus achieving a good effect of mineral separation. Currently using flotation reagents is the most flexible, effective, and convenient method of controlling flotation process. The commonly used flotation reagents can be mainly divided into three types according to their different working principles: flotation collectors, flotation frothers and flotation modifiers(Flotation Reagents’ Types and Working Principles, n.d.).
Collectors are surface active chemicals that selectively bind to copper minerals, making them hydrophobic. This helps them to attach to the air bubbles introduced in the flotation cell. Commonly used copper collectors include xanthate and phosphine disulfide. Xanthates such as ethyl acetate xanthate, pentyl xanthate are the most commonly used copper flotation collectors and adsorb on the surface of copper minerals, making them hydrophobic, which encourages them to bind to air bubbles. Phosphine disulfides such as diethylene phosphine disulfide and diisobutyl phosphine disulfide are also commonly used copper flotation collectors with a similar mechanism of action to effectively float copper minerals out (Xinhai, n.d.).
Frothers are heteropolar surface-active compounds that lower the surface tension of water and have the ability to adsorb on the air bubble–water interface. Their presence in the liquid phase increases the film strength of the air bubbles, thus providing better attachment of hydrophobic particles to the bubbles. The most widely used frothers include natural chemicals such as pine oil, cresylic acid, and synthetic reagents such as methyl isobutyl carbinol (MIBC) and polyglycol ethers (Tinashe O. et Lordwell K., n.d.).
Modifiers are chemicals used extensively in flotation to modify the action of the collector, making collector action more selective towards certain minerals. Modifiers can be classed as activators, depressants and pH modifiers. Activators react with the mineral surface so that they become hydrophobic due to the action of the collector, depressants increase the selectivity of flotation by rendering certain minerals hydrophilic and pH modifiers regulate the ionic composition by changing the ion concentration of the hydrogen ion in the pulp (Tinashe O. et Lordwell K., n.d.).
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Reference:
What Are Copper Flotation Reagents? – https://www.xinhaimining.com/newo/what-are-copper-flotation-reagents.html
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/249335883.pdf
Flotation Reagents’ Types and Working Principles. (n.d.). Retrieved May 12, 2025, from https://www.cnlitereagent.com/news/flotation-reagents-types-working-principles/
