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PHB/chitosan microspheres as green collectors for quartz flotation
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Biopolymer microspheres made from poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) coated with chitosan achieved approximately 80% quartz recovery in froth flotation at very low dosages, demonstrating effective hydrophobization as a biodegradable alternative to conventional amine collectors. This green chemistry approach could help reduce the environmental burden of synthetic chemical collectors used in industrial mineral processing.
This study investigates biopolymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) microspheres coated with chitosan as a potential biodegradable and environmentally friendly collector for froth quartz flotation. The work includes physicochemical characterization of PHB/CHI particles including their zeta potential (+52,36 mV at pH 4,58), assessment of their hydrophobic behavior in water and in the presence of nonionic frother 4-methyl-2-pentanol (MIBC) through contact angle measurement and three-phase contact (TPC) formation time. The results show that adsorption PHB/CHI microspheres onto glass plate increases surface hydrophobicity, yielding a maximum contact angle of ≈ 50°, accelerates TPC formation, significantly enhances flotation recovery, with clear dosage dependent improvements in flotation kinetics. Even low collector dosage (0.08 mg per 1 g of quartz) yielded high quartz recoveries of around 80%. Experiments using the particle–bubble dynamic attachment apparatus further confirmed the enhanced hydrophobization mechanism, revealing substantially higher bubble coverage in the presence of PHB/CHI. In contrast, chitosan alone resulted in negligible attachment, and the addition of MIBC did not significantly influence bubble coverage. Overall, these preliminary findings demonstrate the novelty and promise of PHB/CHI microspheres as an effective green alternative to conventional amine collectors, with their polydispersity and potential to bind fine particles further contributing to improved flotation efficiency.
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