The influence of surfactant on the surface characterization of celestite in spherical oil agglomeration (Reprinted from Scandinavian Journal of Metallurgy, April, 2005)

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between the critical surface tension of wetting of celestite and agglomeration recovery as well as the zeta potential in dependence of pH and amount of collector (Na-Oleate). For this purpose, effects of pH and collector amount on the agglomeration recovery are investigated and zeta potential measurements and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FTIR) analyses are carried out to determine the adsorption type of Na-Oleate on celestite surface. The sessile drop technique is used for the measurement of contact angle and determination of the critical surface tension of wetting (gamma(C)) of celestite. The maximum agglomeration recovery is obtained at pH 7. The critical surface tension of wetting of celestite is very close to the surface tension of kerosene, which is 25.95 mN/m. Furthermore, at the optimum Na-Oleate amount of 10 kg/ton, the critical surface tension of wetting of celestite is approximately equal to the surface tension of kerosene.