Designing the Zn cleaner columns flotation of Bama plant using feasibility tests

Due to the advantages of column flotation cells compared to mechanical ones and the tendency of mineral processing industry to replace them، in this research the possibility of replacing the mechanical cells of Bama Zn cleaner stage with a column cell investigated using alaboratory column with 10 cm diameter and 400 cm height. For this purpose، 21 feasibility tests were designed using CCD method of experiments design. Four input factors including froth height، feed flow rate، wash water flow rate and aeration flow rate and three responses including grade، recovery and separation efficiency of Zn were considered. The influence of input factors on obtained responses investigated. Optimization of operational factors aimed at maximizing the Zn separation efficiency. In optimum conditions، froth height، feed flow rate، wash water flow rate، aeration flow rate and separation efficiency were 65 cm، 3. 45 L/min، 0. 65 L/min، 3 L/min and 43. 94 %، respectively. Results in optimum conditions showed that the performance of column flotation resulted in increasing 3. 62% in grade، 2. 22% in Zn recovery and 4. 75% in separation efficiency. In addition، using the obtained data، a column flotation cell for Zn cleaner stage of Bama plant with 2 m diameter and 12 m height was designed، which is divided into 4 parts. This column could be replaced to 4 stages of mechanical cleaner and re-cleaner mechanical cells of Bama plant.