Effect of roughness and shape factor on flotation characteristics of glass beads

Abstract

Abstract The effect of surface roughness and shape factor on behavior of particles in flotation has been investigated. Surface roughness of various degrees was applied on spherical glass beads of −150 +106 μm by means of acid etching. The same procedure was also performed on ground glass beads of the same size interval with different shape factors. The effect of these variations on surface morphology of particles was investigated in terms of flotation recovery, contact angle, and bubble-particle attachment. An Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) was used for surface roughness characterizations and a correction methodology on roughness measurements of spherical particles is proposed. A digital image analyzer was used for shape factor characterizations. It is shown that increase in surface roughness improves the flotation recovery, contact angle, and bubble attachment. Shape factor, however, was found to be more predominant in flotation and bubble attachment. This is attributed to the effect of sharp edges of ground particles which triggers the film rupture process and shortens the attachment time.