An evaluation of the flotation response of coals

Abstract The general criteria which must be satisfied by any procedure intended to characterise the fundamental response of a coal to flotation are reviewed. Of the procedures currently advocated, only two, release analysis and the “tree” procedure, satisfy all these criteria. However, the “tree” procedure is demonstrated to be superior in that it more finely discriminates between particles of relatively high but different floatability and that its results are independent of collector dosage. Application of the “tree” procedure to the preliminary design of coal flotation circuits and the measurement of plant flotation efficiency are discussed.