Although many studies have been conducted on the morphological variations and its effects on flotation recoveries of a single mineral system, a systematic study for the flotation behavior of mixtures of minerals has not dwelled much. In this study, th flotation behavior of chromite and serpentine minerals was investigated to distinguish and isolate the contribution of morphology in single and binary systems. For this purpose, the shape analyses for the minerals ground as single and mixture were performed, and their flotation behaviors determined with the micro-flotation experiments. Additionally, the zeta potential measurements were carried out in the presence of sodium oleate as a collector. The shape analysis of the ground samples showed that while the roundness values of chromite and serpentine (gangue) minerals as single were quite different, the particle shape of chromite favored serpentine in the mixture system which in turn suggested that the mineral with the high hardness value dominates the shape characteristics in binary grinding conditions. Accordingly, while the flotation characteristics of chromite in the mixture followed the same trend with the flotation of a single chromite system as a function of particle shape, almost a reverse trend was obtained for the shape and flotation of serpentine in the mixture compared to a single serpentine system. Thus, at roundness values of chromite particles from 0.797 to 0.732, the flotation recoveries of chromite in the mixture increased from 51.0% to 75.4%. On the other hand, likewise chromite, the flotation recoveries of serpentine increased from 20.0% to 37.3% proportional to the roundness range of 0.757 and 0.709. These findings in turn showed that the grinding conditions dictate the soft component to be monitored by the harder and denser component which dominates the angularity and floatability of the mixture.
Ingawa masomo mengi yamefanywa juu ya tofauti za kimaumbile na athari zake kwa kupona kwa flotation ya mfumo mmoja wa madini, utafiti wa utaratibu wa tabia ya flotation ya mchanganyiko wa madini haujakaa sana. Katika utafiti huu, tabia ya flotation ya chromite na serpentine madini ilichunguzwa kutofautisha na kutenganisha mchango wa morphology katika mifumo ya moja na binary. Kwa kusudi hili, uchambuzi wa umbo kwa madini ardhi kama moja na mchanganyiko zilifanywa, na tabia zao flotation kuamua na majaribio micro-flotation. Aidha, vipimo zeta uwezo walikuwa kufanyika katika uwepo wa sodiamu oleate kama mkusanyaji. Uchunguzi wa sampuli za ardhi ulionyesha kwamba wakati maadili ya mviringo ya chromite na serpentine (gangue) madini kama moja yalikuwa tofauti sana, sura ya chembe ya chromite ilipendelea serpentine katika mfumo wa mchanganyiko, ambayo kwa upande wake ilionyesha kwamba madini yenye thamani ya ukali wa juu inatawala sifa za umbo katika hali ya mchanganyiko. Kwa hiyo, wakati sifa za kuelea za chromite katika mchanganyiko zilifuata mwelekeo huo na kuelea kwa mfumo mmoja wa chromite kama kazi ya umbo la chembe, karibu mwelekeo wa kinyume ulipatikana kwa umbo na kuelea kwa serpentine katika mchanganyiko ikilinganishwa na mfumo mmoja wa serpentine. Kwa hivyo, kwa thamani ya mviringo wa chembe za chromite kutoka 0.797 hadi 0.732, mapato ya flotation ya chromite katika mchanganyiko yaliongezeka kutoka 51.0% hadi 75.4%. Kwa upande mwingine, kama ilivyo kwa chromium, mapato ya kuelea ya serpentine yaliongezeka kutoka 20.0% hadi 37.3% kulingana na safu ya mviringo ya 0.757 na 0.709. Matokeo haya kwa upande wao alionyesha kwamba masharti ya kusaga kuamuru sehemu laini kuwa kufuatiliwa na sehemu ngumu na dense ambayo inatawala angularity na floatability ya mchanganyiko.