US 4,511,461 AGranted

Process for recovering minerals and metals by oleophilic adhesion

OwnerJan Kruyerinventor

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Abstract

A mixture containing oleophilic surfaced mineral particles and oleophobic gangue particles in an aqueous phase is separated by means of an apertured oleophilic endless sieve supported in a separation zone by a revolving cylindrical cage having apertured sidewalls and supported in a recovery zone by a support roller, each section of sieve surface alternately revolves through the separation zone and recovery zone. The aqueous mixture is introduced as a slurry into the rotating cage. The endless sieve partly covers the outside surface of the cylindrical cage sidewall. An oleophilic adhesive is placed on the sieve as a coating or added to the aqueous slurry in the cage or both. The mixture tumbles inside of the cage and passes through the cage sidewall apertures to the sieve surface. The oleophilic mineral particles of the mixture adhere to the oleophilic adhesive and are captured by the sieve upon contact and conveyed out of the separation zone into the recovery zone. In the recovery zone, mineral particles and adhesive mixture are heated and removed from the sieve by squeezing the mixture on the sieve between two rollers at least one of which is oleophilic. Alternately, the mineral particles and adhesive mixture on the sieve may because of its apertured surface, be blown off, shaken off or thrown off the sieve under the influence of an applied force.

Claims39

Dependent claims

A method for the continuous separation and removal of oleophilic surfaced mineral particles from a particulate mixture of oleophilic minerals and oleophobic gangue which comprises:

(a) providing a continuous separation and recovery system consisting of a rotating conveyor in the form of an apertured oleophilic endless sieve of uniform width supported in a separation zone by a cylindrical generally horizontal rotating cage having an apertured cylindrical sidewall, said cylindrical sidewall being partially enwrapped about the circumference thereof by said sieve, said sieve being supported in a recovery zone by a rotating conveyor roller, and said cage, conveyor roller and sieve being rotated in tandem at substantially the same surface speed such that the sieve rotates sequentially and continuously from separation zone to recovery zone;
(b) applying to the surface of said rotating sieve a coating of a viscous oleophilic oil phase adhesive as said sieve surface rotates from said recovery zone to said separation zone;
(c) continuously introducing an aqueous slurry of said particulate mixture into said rotating cage and tumbling said mixture to enhance the oleophilic nature of the surface of said mineral particles and maintain the oleophobic surface of said oleophobic gangue in contact with water to prepare said mixture for distribution on said sieve;
(d) continuously transferring said aqueous slurry mixture through the apertures of said cylindrical sidewall of said cage onto the surface of said oleophilic oil phase adhesive coated oleophilic sieve across the width thereof causing the mineral particles to contact and adhere to the oil phase adhesive coating on the surfaces of said sieve and the oleophobic gangue particles and aqueous phase to pass through said sieve apertures;
and
(e) continuously rotating said sieve containing said adhered mineral particles and oil phase adhesive away from contact with said rotating cage and out of said separation zone into said recovery zone wherein heat is transferred to the sieve and where the adhered mineral particles and oil phase adhesive are recovered from said oleophilic sieve;
and
(f) continuously rotating said sieve away from said recovery zone for recoating with the viscous oleophilic oil phase coating.

5 more elements

A method for the continuous separation and removal of oleophilic surfaced mineral particles from a particulate mixture of oleophilic minerals and oleophobic gangue which comprises:

(a) providing a continuous separation and recovery system consisting of a rotating conveyor in the form of an apertured oleophilic endless sieve of uniform width supported in a separation zone by a cylindrical generally horizontal rotating cage having an apertured cylindrical sidewall, said cylindrical sidewall being partially enwrapped about the circumference thereof by said sieve, said sieve being supported in a recovery zone by a rotating conveyor roller, said cage, conveyor roller and sieve being rotated in tandem at substantially the same surface speed such that the sieve rotates sequentially and continuously from separation zone to recovery zone;
(b) continuously introducing an aqueous slurry of said particulate mixture and an oleophilic oil phase adhesive into said rotating cage and tumbling said slurry and oil phase adhesive within said cage causing said oil phase adhesive to adhere to and coat the oleophilic surfaced mineral particles, thereby forming an oil phase-aqueous phae mixture wherein said oil phase is a mixture of mineral particle and oil phase adhesive, and wherein said aqueous phase contains said oleophobic gangue particles;
(c) continuously transferring said oil phase-aqueous phase mixture through the apertures of said cylindrical sidewall of said cage onto the surface of said oleophilic sieve across the width thereof causing the mixture of mineral particles and oil phase adhesive to contact and adhere to the surfaces of said sieve and the oleophobic gangue and aqueous phase to pass through said sieve apertures;
and
(d) continuously rotating said sieve containing said adhered mineral particles and oil phase adhesive mixture away from contact with said rotating cage and out of said separation zone into said recovery zone wherein heat is transferred to the sieve and where the adhered mineral particles and oil phase adhesive mixture is recovered from said oleophilic sieve which is then rotated back to said separation zone and into contact with said rotating cage for further transfer onto said sieve of the oil phase-aqueous phase mixture from said cage.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.