Plant-site evaluation of air-sparged hydrocyclone technology for phosphate flotation separation.

Pilot-plant tests have shown that the air-sparged hydrocyclone system has a specific capacity about 50-100 times higher than that of a traditional flotation cell for the recovery of phosphate from Florida ores. For fatty acid flotation, single-stage air-sparged hydrocyclone flotation produced a recovery of 75-77% in a rougher concentrate containing 24% P2O5. In reverse flotation with amine, the system gave a phosphate recovery of 98% in a cleaner concentrate containing 31% P2O5. Discussion is presented of the effects of process variables in terms of separation efficiency. A 6-inch air-sparged hydrocyclone system was fabricated and tested in a Florida processing plant for reverse flotation in the amine flotation circuit. A single-stage phosphate recovery of 91% was achieved with a concentrate grade of 30% P2O5. Porous tube plugging occurred in plant tests, however, probably due to the poor quality of the plant water.
Pilot-plant tests have shown that the air-sparged hydrocyclone system has a specific capacity about 50-100 times higher than that of a traditional flotation cell for the recovery of phosphate from Florida ores. For fatty acid flotation, single-stage air-sparged hydrocyclone flotation produced a recovery of 75-77% in a rougher concentrate containing 24% P2O5. In reverse flotation with amine, the system gave a phosphate recovery of 98% in a cleaner concentrate containing 31% P2O5. Discussion is presented of the effects of process variables in terms of separation efficiency. A 6-inch air-sparged hydrocyclone system was fabricated and tested in a Florida processing plant for reverse flotation in the amine flotation circuit. A single-stage phosphate recovery of 91% was achieved with a concentrate grade of 30% P2O5. Porous tube plugging occurred in plant tests, however, probably due to the poor quality of the plant water.