Spinodal decomposition is an important mechanism of exsolution. However, spinodal decomposition has not been observed in natural sulfide intergrowths. We utilized focused ion beam (FIB) and ...transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques to confirm spinodal decomposition in natural sulfide intergrowths (chalcopyrite and bornite). According to FIB and TEM analyses, spinodal decomposition occurred as small and curving alternating dark and bright fluctuations in natural bornite–chalcopyrite intergrowths. Due to the low temperature that drove the exsolution mechanism, fluctuations ~10 nm wide and 20–200 nm long contained non-stoichiometric and tetragonal bornite and chalcopyrite. The corresponding electron diffraction of spinodal decomposition displayed a satellite spot in the −210 direction for bornite, and the (200)* and (224)* of chalcopyrite paralleled the (24−2)* and (242)* of bornite, respectively. These observations all agreed with spinodal decomposition, two coexisting phases formed with a crystallographic orientation relationship, which indicated the first observation of spinodal decomposition in natural sulfide intergrowths. These findings confirmed that spinodal decomposition is a mechanism for natural crystal growth. As spinodal decomposition is larger in extent and faster than nucleation and growth, other Cu ore deposits may also form via this mechanism.
In this paper, an adaptive technology and the interconnection and damping assignment passivity-based control method are combined to solve the stabilization problem for underactuated mechanical ...systems with uncertainties (including matched and unmatched). These uncertainties include unknown friction coefficients and unknown terms in kinetic energy and potential energy. A novel adaptive interconnection and damping assignment passivity-based control scheme is proposed and an adaptive stabilization controller is designed to make the closed-loop system locally stable. Verification is conducted on the ball and beam system. The locally asymptotic stability is demonstrated using the LaSalle’s invariance principle and approximate linearization. The effectiveness of the proposed control law is verified through numerical simulations.
In the study, a pilot-scale liquid-solid fluidized bed (LSFB) apparatus was modified by adding an aeration unit, which enabled us to test the effect of air addition on LSFB separation performance for ...fine coal (0.25 ~ 1.00 mm). Upward water flow velocity, aeration volume and flotation reagent (Kerosene and 2-Caprylic alcohol) dosage varied throughout the experiment. The optimum results from the three experimental conditions (without aeration, with aeration only, with aeration and reagent) were compared by their respective probable error (Ep) values. The Ep values of the three experimental conditions were 0.109, 0.08 and 0.07, respectively. The results indicated that the addition of air obviously enhanced LSFB performance, while the addition of flotation reagent further improved the separation result.
This paper proposes a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation of ultrafine powders, namely, yield and quality value-based feature selection. Three indicators reflecting product yield and quality were selected ...to construct a simple and practical fuzzy comprehensive evaluation protocol. The weight set of the indices and the fuzzy evaluation set were calculated based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. The fuzzy comprehensive evaluation value was worked out as the only comprehensive index for the evaluation of product. The best ultrafine comminution condition will be established through the comparison of the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation values. Single-factor experiments and orthogonal experiments of the main influencing factors of ultrafine comminution were conducted. It was concluded that the importance of each factor is sequentially the concentration, specific surface area (SSA) of the media, and percentage of critical speed (PCS). Moreover, the concentration and SSA of the media were equally important. Ultrafine comminution by ball mill had the best overall performance under the PCS of 85%, the SSA of the media of 0.24 m2/kg, and the concentration of 75%.
•Combined cavitation bubbles and carrier flotation to upgrade ultra-fine particles.•Utilized FBRM and PM techniques to directly observe the strengthening mechanisms.•Applied E-DLVO theory to evaluate ...the interaction energy for the novel process.
In this paper, a novel flotation technique that combines nano-scale bubbles generated by hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) and carrier flotation is proposed to promote the flotation efficiency of a high-ash (43%) ultra-fine coal sample (<45 µm). We investigated the mechanism by which cavitation bubbles enhance the separation efficiency of carrier flotation using focused beam reflectance measurements, polarizing microscopy, and extended Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek theory. The carrier particles (polystyrene (PS)) and fine coal were pre-treated in a venturi tube and then floated in a laboratory mechanical flotation cell. The flotation results indicate that the presence of cavitation bubbles significantly improved the carrier flotation performance of high-ash ultra-fine coal. This improvement was attributed to the presence of highly hydrophobic PS, which creates additional gas nuclei in the flotation system. The nano-bubbles, which were produced by the venturi tube and adhered to the fine coal particle surfaces, were conducive to the agglomeration of fine coal particles into large aggregates. Moreover, the nano-bubbles functioned as “bridges” of interaction between the carrier particles and large aggregates of fine coal particles. This paper mainly focused on the effect of carrier (PS) and HC on high-ash fine coal. The influence of different HC intensities on carrier (PS) flotation was discussed. Two models for the interactions between the coal particles, nano-bubbles, and PS during cavitation were proposed and were proved using the E-DLVO theory.
Froth flotation is often employed to remove unburned carbon in the fly ash produced as a coal combustion by-product before it can be utilized in the cement or similar industries. However, with the ...deterioration of coal quality and environmental regulations getting stricter, fly ash has become increasingly more difficult to be purified by the flotation process and the limitations of traditional flotation techniques have become more obvious for ultrafine particles such as fly ash. Nanobubbles have proven effective in enhancing the flotation performance with fine and ultrafine particles. In this study the effect of nanobubbles on fly ash flotation decarbonization and underlying mechanisms have been investigated with a flotation column under various experimental conditions using a Chinese fly ash sample. The results have demonstrated that nanobubbles are able to significantly improve the efficiency of decarbonization of fly ash flotation. Typically the use of nanobubbles increased the recovery of unburnt carbon by 3-15% and reduced the fly ash LOI by 0.2%-3.5%. It has also been shown that nanobubble flotation reduced the required dosages of frother and collector by approximately one half. New mechanisms of nanobubbles improving fly ash decarbonization flotation performance were explored from the perspectives of bubble-particle interactions and solution surface tensions.
Display omitted
•Micron- and nano-droplets of emulsified kerosene were prepared.•Nanodroplets enhanced bubble coalescence and froth drainage better.•Nanodroplets inhibited entrained gangue and favored selective ...flotation of graphite.
In this study, kerosene emulsions with different average droplet sizes (700 nm, 854 nm, and 996 μm) were prepared to investigate their effects on the entrainment of gangue materials and the selectivity index in the flotation of aphanitic graphite. The calculation results based on Neethling and Cillers’s model indicate that a decrease in the average droplet size of emulsified kerosene would result in a decrease in the entrainment of gangue materials, which corresponds to the observations of froth layer height, maximum water recovery rate, and bubble size in the top section of the froth zone. This may be ascribed to the enhanced collision probability between graphite particles and oil droplets, as well as the increased modified flotation rate constant compared to the micro-scale droplets. It is also noted that the selectivity index in graphite flotation increases as the average droplet size of kerosene emulsions decreases. This is largely due to the synthetic effect of the mitigated gangue entrainment and the intensified collision between graphite particles and oil droplets in the presence of nano-scale oil droplets.
Display omitted
The self-assembly of platy clay particles is influenced by anisotropic surface charging properties of the particles. The Stern potentials of particle surfaces are controlled by ...solution pH. Consequently, the energy-favorable particle association varies with pH, leading to different self-assembly structures. Therefore, it should be possible to form desired nanostructure of final clay product through self-assembly of clay particles by controlling the surface charge through adjusting solution pH.
Three different surfaces of kaolinite clay nanoparticles were selectively exposed for Stern potential determination using an atomic force microscope. Aggregation structures through particle self-assembly were predicted based on the analysis of interaction energies between various types of surfaces of kaolinite particles. The structures were visually confirmed using the freeze-dried scanning electron microscopy technique.
By reducing pH of a concentrated kaolinite suspension from 8 to 5 and 3, the dispersed kaolinite particles were self-assembled to a well-stacked configuration and card-house structure, respectively. Current study demonstrates that the pH-dependent surface properties of platy kaolinite nanoparticles can be successfully used to understand the macroscopic behavior (rheology) of kaolinite nanoparticle suspensions and design nanostructures of clay products (catalysts and sorbents). The pH-dependent self-assembly is also applicable to other platy particles of anisotropic surface (charging or wettability) properties.
Triboelectrostatic separation is a unique dry particle separation process that has been applied to many industrial applications. However, little attention has been directed to the process of charge ...transfer during the particle collision and friction which is critical for the success of triboelectrostatic separation. The present study has been conducted to quantify the effects of particle size, collision speed, contact mode (collision or friction), etc. on the charge density, surface potential, morphology, etc. of quartz particles based on macroscopic triboelectrostatic charge measurements and microscopic atomic force microscopy (AFM) characterization. The macroscopic charging performance results showed that the charge to mass ratio of quartz particles depended on process parameters such as feed rate and charger rotation speed and the highest charge to mass ratio reached −56.21 μC/g. The microscopic AFM characterization data reveals that the increase in particle size and collision velocity fundamentally enhanced the triboelectrostatic charging process. The surface potential of quartz increased from −60.60 mV to −477.15 mV with increasing PVC particle size from 280 μm to 1250 μm and similar behavior was observed with increasing the collision velocity from 0.99 m/s to 2.62 m/s. The change in contact mode only changed the magnitude of charge transfer but did not change the polarity of charged particle. The process of charge transfer was accompanied with the change of surface morphology and the degree of change in surface morphology was not directly related to the amount of charge transfer.
The present study has been conducted to quantify the effects of particle size, collision speed, contact mode (collision or friction), etc. on the charge density, surface potential, morphology, etc. of quartz particles based on macroscopic triboelectrostatic charge measurements and microscopic atomic force microscopy (AFM) characterization. Display omitted
•AFM has been applied to investigation of tribo-charging mechanisms of quartz.•Effects of process parameters on charging behavior of quartz are analyzed.•Increase in particle size and collision velocity enhances the charge transfer.•Dominant triboelectrostatic charging mode depends on particle size.
PDF
