Laboratory bench scale flotation test work is routinely conducted using either Galiger "Agitair" forced air cells or Denver flotation cells. Rougher through cleaner flotation uses a combination of 2000, 1000, 500 or 250 gram cells. Larger scale flotation tests (up to 20 kilograms of material) can be conducted in a 1.3 cubic foot Agitair cell.
Process development tests generally use a series of tests to establish the grind size, a reagent series and/or a cleaner series (regrind) to characterize ore response. Locked cycle tests can then be run to recirculate water and intermediate products. Our laboratory has had extensive experience with different mineral separation procedures. Frequently, non-selective bulk sulfide flotation tests are used to recover precious metals that can be associated with pyrite or other sulfides. Gravity pre-concentration can also be incorporated into the test program. Selective flotation tests can be conducted to separate different mineral combinations such as copper from pyrite or copper from molybdenum. Other mineral separations that have been conducted at our laboratory are: copper-lead-zinc-pyrite, silver-lead-zinc-pyrite, silver from sulfosalts, enargite-pyrite, lead-zinc-pyrrhotite, nickel-pyrrhotite and cobalt-pyrrhotite. Bench scale flotation tests can also target the recovery of industrial minerals such as cassiterite, potash, phosphates, talc, barite, coal, resin-coal and tar sands.
