Institute of Material Science and Metallurgy of Ural Federal University named after the first president of Russia B. N. Yeltsin, Ekaterinburg, Russia

I. F. Garifulin, Chief Specialist
M. G. Viduetskiy, Councellor of Director of Institute of Material Science and Metallurgy, Head of an Education and Scientific Research Center
V. A. Maltsev, Director
A. P. Purgin, Chief Specialist

Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company, Verkhnyaya Pyshma, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia

A. M. Panshin, Technical Officer

Results of works, which were previously carried out on the mechanical flotation machines, have generally shown the efficiency of application of flotation, which quite completely (by 85%) enables to extract zinc, copper and silver sulphides. For the purpose of acceleration of flotation of sulphide part of zinc cakes, there was proposed the usage of pneumatic flotation apparatus (series of columnar flotation machines (CFM (КФМ)) with ejecting unit, instead of mechanical flotation machines. The fractional factorial experiments with changing technological factors were set for the purpose of comparison of flotation process efficiency in mechanical flotation machines and CFM apparatuses. After the calculation of mathematical models (according to the results of fractional factorial experiments), there was substantiated that during the flotation of zinc cake on mechanical machine, there are existing the five factors, which make a significant influence on the zinc extraction (durations of agitation and flotation are most significant). At the same time, consumption of air into ejecting units (i. e., the factor of processing intensity of the pulp flow by air microbubbles, more than 30% of which have the size of lesser than 50 μm) makes the most significant influence on the results of zinc cake flotation in the CFM apparatus, because this factor in obtained equation has the biggest coefficient. According to obtained mathematical models, there were made the following conclusions:
— flotation rate of sulphide forms of zinc in apparatus with ejecting unit (CFM) is by 5 and more times higher, than the rate in mechanical flotation machine;
— on the basis of results of set fractional factorial experiments and obtained mathematical models, the factor of intensity of pulp flow processing by air microbubbles defines primarily the higher speed and flotation indices in columnar flotation machine, which confirms the reasonability of usage of these apparatuses for the cakes concentration;
— dissolution rate of sulphate forms of zinc in apparatus with ejecting unit is by 10 and more times higher, than in mechanical flotation machine.

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