International Journal of Mineral Processing 123 (2013) 39–45

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International Journal of Mineral Processing

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijminpro

Mechanism study of the impact of water-borne bacteria on flotation

Wenying Liu ⁎, C.J. Moran, Sue Vink
Centre for Water in the Minerals Industry, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Bacteria-containing water is being increasingly accessed by the minerals industry as an alternative water
Received 14 January 2013 source to improve water efficiency. Water-borne bacteria have been shown to negatively affect the efficiency
Received in revised form 24 April 2013 of froth flotation when using a representative system consisting of E. coli as the model bacterium and chalco-
Accepted 27 April 2013
pyrite as the model mineral. It is essential to understand the underlying mechanisms that could explain the
Available online 14 May 2013
observed effect, to provide guidance on the subsequent solutions to deal with it. This study conducted a sys-
Keywords:
tematic investigation into the mechanism by which bacteria affect flotation efficiency using fluorescence mi-
Bacterial attachment croscopy, bubble attachment time measurements, and froth phase characteristics. E. coli bacterial cells in
Hydrophobicity solution were found to attach to chalcopyrite surfaces. In turn, the surface hydrophobicity of chalcopyrite
Froth stability particles decreased as the number of the attached bacterial cells increased. Reduction in surface hydrophobic-
Froth velocity ity resulted in less mineral particles attaching to bubbles, leading to decreased froth stability, bubble coales-
cence rate and froth velocity. Slurry pH and Eh were also affected by the presence of the bacterial cells. These
changes were correlated with reductions in flotation recoveries. These experimental results contribute to an
understanding of how biotic water constituents impact the operation of flotation plants that choose to use
alternative water sources, and provide knowledge towards possible solutions to the negative effect of
water-borne bacteria.
© 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction bubbles increase the particle-bubble collision probability (Bournival et

As water resources become scarcer, mine sites have been increasingly
accessing bacteria-containing water for their operations. However,
water-borne bacteria have been found to have a negative effect on flota-
tion efficiency (Liu et al., 2013). To use this water source without
compromising operational efficiency, the negative effect needs to be
overcome in a diagnostic way. This requires an understanding of the un-
derlying mechanisms that could explain the negative effect.
The process of particle-bubble capture in flotation can be de-
scribed by three independent sub-processes: collision, attachment,
and stability (Dai et al., 1999). In a flotation cell, hydrophobic mineral
particles collide with rising gas bubbles, attach to bubble surfaces and
form stable particle-bubble aggregates. The particle-bubble aggre-
gates then rise to the surface of the flotation cell, forming the froth
phase. Flotation efficiency depends on the efficiency of each of these
sub-processes. Water quality change is among the factors that may
influence the efficiency of any of these sub-processes.
A number of studies have shown how abiotic water constituents af-
fect the efficiency of the sub-processes by changing properties of parti-
cles, bubbles and aqueous solution. For example, electrolytes favor the
formation of smaller stable bubbles due to the influence of the electro-
lytes on surface tension and gas solubility (Pugh et al., 1997). Smaller
⁎ Corresponding author. Tel.: +61 7 3346 4027; fax: +61 7 3346 4045.
E-mail address: wy.liu@uq.edu.au (W. Liu).
al., 2012; Pugh et al., 1997), and also improve particle-bubble attach-
ment efficiencies (Hewitt et al., 1994). The presence of electrolytes
also improves particle-bubble attachment efficiency through
compressing the electrical double layer and thus reducing the electro-
static repulsion between particles and bubbles (Kurniawan et al.,
2011). Some metal ions can affect particle-bubble attachment efficiency
by forming a hydrophilic barrier of metal hydroxide precipitates on
minerals surfaces (Senior and Trahar, 1991). Formation of metal hy-
droxides is influenced by aqueous pH (Font et al., 1999). Aqueous Eh
can also affect particle-bubble attachment through changing mineral
surface hydrophobicity by oxidation reactions (Buckley and Riley,
1991; Zachwieja et al., 1989). The presence of dissolved ions in water
can change the stability of particle-bubble aggregates in the froth
phase (Bıçak et al., 2012; Farrokhpay and Zanin, 2012).
Compared to studies on abiotic water constituents, there is not
much study on how biotic water constituents, specifically water-
borne bacteria, affect the sub-processes in flotation (Rao et al., 2010).
Based on the existing research on abiotic water constituents, this
study hypothesized that water-borne bacteria could affect the efficiency
of flotation sub-processes through: changes in the particle surface prop-
erties, particularly surface hydrophobicity, changes in the froth layer,
and changes in solution chemistry. To test the hypothesis, we carried
out experiments to study these changes using different techniques in
a representative system consisting of E. coli as the model bacterium
and high-purity chalcopyrite as the model mineral. This paper reports

0301-7516/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.minpro.2013.04.015
40 W. Liu et al. / International Journal of Mineral Processing 123 (2013) 39–45
the findings of these experiments carried out to study the underlying
mechanisms.
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Materials
A pure culture of E. coli strain K12 was cultured in LB medium
consisting of tryptone (10 g/l), yeast extract (5 g/l) and sodium chlo-
ride (10 g/l). The culture was grown in flasks shaken at 37 °C for 16 h.
The cells were harvested by centrifugation (Eppendorf Centrifuge
5810R) at 4000 ×g for 15 min. The cell pellets were washed three
times with 1 × PBS solution (phosphate buffer saline) and suspended
in the same solution. The bacterial cell concentration was measured
by optical density (OD600) using a Nanodrop ND-1000 spectropho-
tometer (Thermo Scientific), where 1 OD equals 1 × 10 9 cell/ml.
High-purity chalcopyrite was purchased from GEOdiscoveries Com-
pany, Australia. The sample was crushed using a roll crusher and
screened to collect 0.6–2.8 mm size fractions. The crushed sample was
then sealed in polyethylene bags and stored at −20 °C. Just prior to flo-
tation experiments, the sample was dry-ground with a pulverizer to a
particle size of D80 of 150 μm (i.e., 80% of the particles pass a sieve
with 150 μm opening). All chemicals used were of analytical grade.
2.2. Methods
2.2.1. Changes in particle surface hydrophobicity
2.2.1.1. Adsorption experiment. Microflotation was used to study the
adsorption of the bacterial cells to chalcopyrite surfaces and the
resulting modifications to surface hydrophobicity. Microflotation is a
well-accepted means of studying mineral surface changes due to the
simplicity of the system (Botero et al., 2008; Mishchuk, 2005;
Shackleton et al., 2007). The attachment of the bacterial cells to min-
eral surfaces was calculated by measuring the change in bacterial
concentrations upon the addition of mineral particles. Different initial
concentrations of the bacterial cells were added to the microflotation
unit. The suspensions were conditioned for 2 min and filtered
through Whatman No. 1 filter paper (11-μm particle retention). The
residual concentrations of the bacterial cells in the filtrates were mea-
sured and used as the bacterial concentrations before addition of min-
eral particles. This treatment ensured that the bacterial cells attached
to the glass wall of the microflotation unit and the filter paper were
taken into account. Prior to use, 3 g of the high-purity chalcopyrite -
50 + 53 μm size fraction was deslimed three times to remove
ultra-fine particles. The same initial concentrations of the bacterial
cells together with the deslimed chalcopyrite particles were added
to the microflotation unit. The slurry was conditioned and filtered
according to the same procedure as above. The filtrates were collected
for bacterial concentration measurements. These measurements were
used as the bacterial concentrations after addition of mineral parti-
cles. The bacterial attachment was calculated by subtracting the bac-
terial concentrations after addition of mineral particles from the
original bacterial concentrations. The collected chalcopyrite particles
were used for fluorescent microscopy. These particles were trans-
ferred to a 10 ml test tube containing 5 ml of distilled water. To the
test tube was added 1 μl of DAPI fluorescent stain. The particles
were stained with DAPI for 40 min. After staining, the chalcopyrite
particles were transferred to a glass slide. Images were taken using
a fluorescence microscope (Olympus BX 61) with a 40 × objective.
2.2.1.2. Particle-bubble attachment time. The change in particle surface
hydrophobicity after bacterial attachment was quantified by measur-
ing particle-bubble attachment time. The attachment time was mea-
sured using the Attachment Timer (University of Alberta, Canada).
Chalcopyrite particles were conditioned with different concentrations
of the bacterial cells and sodium ethyl xanthate collector. The treated
particles were transferred to a rectangular optical glass cell to form a
bed of mineral particles. The glass cell was then placed on the moving
stage of the microscope of the Attachment Timer for measurement. A
bubble of about 2 mm in diameter was generated using a
microsyringe. The bubble was moved against the bed of mineral par-
ticles. Different contact times were preset in the computer program.
Ten measurements were performed at each given contact time on dif-
ferent spots of the bed. This machine can only measure whether there
are particles attached to the bubble, but could not measure the
weight of the particles attached. The computer recorded each time
the bubble picked up a minimum of one particle. The number of suc-
cessful attachments out of ten tries was used to calculate the percent-
age of the contacts that picked up mineral particles. Then the
relationship between the preset contact time and the percentage of
the contacts that picked up mineral particles was established. There
has been other research where the attachment time was defined as
the contact time at which 50 per cent of the observations resulted
in bubble-particle attachments (Ozdemir et al., 2009; Ye et al.,
1989). However, in this work particle-bubble attachment time was
defined as the contact time at which 100 percent of the contacts pick-
ed up particles. The reason was that the apparatus used in this work
could not measure a contact time of less than 10 ms.
2.2.1.3. Microflotation experiments. Changes in particle surface hydro-
phobicity were correlated with mineral recoveries from microflotation
experiments. Microflotation experiments were conducted with a stan-
dard microflotation unit (Bradshaw and Connor, 1996). Despite repeat-
ed screening, the chalcopyrite sample contained a significant amount of
very fine poorly floating particles that had to be removed prior to the
microflotation experiments. For each microflotation experiment, 3 g
of the −150 + 53 μm size fraction was placed in a 250 ml beaker
and mixed with 150 ml of distilled water. The beaker was placed in an
ultrasonic bath for 1 min. Fine poorly floating particles were removed
by decanting the suspension. The sonication and decantation steps
were repeated three times. E. coli cells were added to the microflotation
unit to different concentrations. The slurry was conditioned for 2 min to
allow the bacterial cells to interact with the mineral. Then, sodium ethyl
xanthate collector was added into the microflotation unit, followed by
another 2 min of conditioning. No frother was added in microflotation.
Air flow rate was maintained at 18 ml/min for 90 s of flotation time.
Concentrates and tails were collected from the top and bottom of the
microflotation unit. The products were filtered, dried at room tempera-
ture and weighed for analysis.
2.2.2. Changes in froth phase — batch flotation
For each flotation test, 100 g of the ground mineral sample with a
particle size of D80 of 150 μm was mixed with 500 ml of distilled
water to form slurry with an approximate pH of 8. The slurry was
transferred to a 1.5 l flotation cell. The bacterial cells were added to
the flotation cell to different concentrations. The slurry was condi-
tioned for 2 min to allow the bacterial cells to interact with the min-
eral. Then, sodium ethyl xanthate was added as the collector to a final
concentration of 200 g/t. The slurry was conditioned for 2 min,
followed by the addition of MIBC (methyl isobutyl carbinol) frother
to a final concentration of 200 g/t. The slurry was then conditioned
for another 1 min. Air was supplied through the bottom of the cell
at a flow rate of 5 l/min. Before collecting a froth sample, twenty
froth images were taken using a Metso Visiofroth camera positioned
over the flotation unit. Concentrates were collected at 1, 2, 4, and
8 min cumulative time with a scraping rate of once per 10 s. The con-
centrates and tails were filtered, dried in an oven at 70 °C overnight
and weighed for the analysis. The froth images were analyzed using
the Metso software to obtain information on changes in froth color,
texture, bubble size, bubble collapse rate, froth stability and velocity.
This information was then correlated with the final mass recoveries.
 W. Liu et al. / International Journal of Mineral Processing 123 (2013) 39–45
2.2.3. Changes in solution chemistry
For each flotation test at a specific concentration of the bacterial
cells, slurry pH and Eh were measured using a pH-Eh meter with a
platinum tip ORP sensor (TPS 90 FLMV). These measurements were
conducted before collecting each of the four concentrates.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Effect of bacterial cells on particle surface hydrophobicity
Fig. 1 (A) presents the attachment of E. coli cells to chalcopyrite
surfaces. The number of the bacterial cells attached to the mineral
surfaces increased as the initial bacterial concentration was increased.
Fluorescent images were taken from mineral particles randomly se-
lected from the microflotation unit at all bacterial concentrations.
The attached bacterial cells could be seen in the fluorescent images
as blue dots on the particle surfaces, as shown in Fig. 1 (B). No blue
dots were observed on the particle surfaces from the baseline test
with distilled water. Increasing the initial bacterial concentration
resulted in an increase in fluorescence intensity, which reflected the
increase in the number of the bacterial cells attached.
It has been reported that bacterial cells adhere to solid surfaces
through four stages (van Loosdrecht et al., 1990; Zobell, 1943). To attach
to mineral surfaces, bacteria must first be transported from bulk liquid
to the vicinity of the solid surfaces. Initial reversible adhesion occurs,
which is governed by electrostatic and hydrophobic forces (Marshall,
1985; Zobell, 1943). Bacteria become firmly and irreversibly attached
to the surfaces through the synthesis of extracellular polymeric sub-
stances after some time. The final stage involves microbial colonization
and formation of biofilms on the solid surfaces. Given that there was in-
sufficient time in the flotation cell for E. coli cells to undergo significant
growth or form biofilm, the interactions of the bacterium with chalco-
pyrite surfaces were explained only in terms of the electrostatic and hy-
drophobic forces that govern initial adhesion.
The attachment of the bacterial cells can create surface modifica-
tions, particularly surface hydrophobicity (Rao and Subramanian,
2007). Change in surface hydrophobicity is particularly important for
flotation because it affects the particle-bubble attachment process
(Chau et al., 2009; Koh et al., 2009). Research has found that microbial
attachment changes the surface properties of pyrite in crushed fine
Fig. 1. (A) The number of E. coli cells attached to chalcopyrite surfaces at increasing initial bacterial concentration; (B) fluorescent images of chalcopyrite surfaces at increasing bac-
terial concentrations from 1 (baseline test) to 4 (the highest concentration).
41
coal from hydrophobic to hydrophilic (Attia, 1990; El Zeky and Attia,
1987; Ohmura et al., 1993).
Change in particle surface hydrophobicity due to bacterial attach-
ment can be determined by measuring particle-bubble attachment
time. Fig. 2 (A) shows particle-bubble attachment time as a function
of the concentration of E. coli cells with and without addition of the
collector. Overall, attachment time increased with increasing concen-
trations of the bacterial cells for both cases. This can be interpreted as
the surface hydrophobicity of chalcopyrite surfaces decreasing as the
concentration of the bacterial cells was raised. Comparison of the at-
tachment time with and without collector shows that the attachment
time was shorter in the presence of the collector than in the absence
of the collector at the same bacterial concentration. In other words,
collector addition reduced the negative effect of the bacterial cells
on surface hydrophobicity, but it could not mitigate the negative ef-
fect to the same extent as the baseline test with distilled water. This
might be attributed to the formation of a bacterial layer on particle
surfaces acting as a barrier for subsequent collector adsorption to
occur. It has been found that the adsorption of collectors and bacteria
to mineral surfaces can compete with each other, e.g., the selective
desorption of xanthogenate collector coatings on minerals by sulfate
reducing bacteria (Somasundaran et al., 1998). Therefore, another ex-
planation might be that when E. coli cells and the collector coexisted,
the bacterial cells desorbed some of the adsorbed collector, with a
stronger desorption magnitude at a higher bacterial concentration.
The correlation between flotation recovery and the attachment
time is shown in Fig. 2 (B). The decrease in recovery was correlated
with the increase in the attachment time. This implies that there
was positive correlation between recovery and particle surface hy-
drophobicity, which is in agreement with the existing research (Koh
et al., 2009; Schwarz and Grano, 2005). At the lower bacterial concen-
tration, the particle-bubble attachment time could not be detected
because it was beyond the detection limit of the instrument.
The surface hydrophobicity results demonstrate that the bacterial at-
tachment resulted in a reduction in mineral surface hydrophobicity. This
could compromise the efficiency of particle-bubble attachment, the sec-
ond sub-process in flotation. Furthermore, these very same changes in
particle surface hydrophobicity may also affect the formation of stable
particle-bubble aggregates, the third sub-process in flotation. To under-
stand it, experiments were carried out to quantify changes of the froth
phase properties at varying bacterial concentrations.
42 W. Liu et al. / International Journal of Mineral Processing 123 (2013) 39–45
Fig. 2. (A) particle-bubble attachment time as a function of the concentration of E. coli cells
with and without collector; (B) correlation between recovery and attachment time.
Fig. 3. Froth images taken at different concentrations of E. coli cells, 1: baseline; 2: 3.2 × 107; 3: 6.0 × 107; 4: 9.0 × 107; unit: cell/mL.
3.2. Effect of bacterial cells on froth phase
Changes in the appearance of the froth phase were observed visu-
ally in randomly selected froth images taken for the baseline test and
at different bacterial concentrations, as shown in Fig. 3. These images
show changes in color and texture as the concentration of the bacte-
rial cells was increased. Image analysis was applied to quantify these
changes. The statistical significance of these changes was confirmed
using ANOVA (analysis of variance).
As can be observed from Fig. 4, raising the concentration of the
bacterial cells decreased the values of froth brightness and texture.
This indicates lower contents of solids covering the bubbles (Forbes,
2007). It stands to reason that the reduction in particle surface hydro-
phobicity caused by bacterial attachment would ultimately manifest
itself in less mineral grains attached to the bubbles in the froth. This
has been observed by previous research, where a decrease in surface
hydrophobicity induces a decreased flow rate of particles entering
froth (Schwarz and Grano, 2005).
This lower concentration of less hydrophobic mineral particles in
froth might compromise the efficiency of the sub-process of forma-
tion of stable particle-bubble aggregates by affecting froth stability,
bubble coalescence and froth velocity (Ali et al., 2000; Ata, 2012;
Johansson and Pugh, 1992; Moolman et al., 1996).
Fig. 5 (A) shows the froth stability as a function of bacterial con-
centration. The froth stability decreased at increasing bacterial con-
centrations. Fig. 5 (B) shows the correlation between flotation
recovery and froth stability. Flotation recovery decreased with the de-
crease in froth stability. This finding is in agreement with the existing
research, which shows that less stable froth could result in poor flota-
tion performance (Barbian et al., 2005; Farrokhpay and Zanin, 2012).
Fig. 6 (A) shows the effect of the bacterial cells on bubble collapse
rate. Bubble collapse rate is the rate at which bubbles coalesce within
 W. Liu et al. / International Journal of Mineral Processing 123 (2013) 39–45 43

Fig. 4. (A) Froth brightness; (B) froth texture as a function of the concentration of E. coli cells. Fig. 5. (A) Froth stability as a function of the concentration of E. coli cells; (B) correla-
tion between froth stability and chalcopyrite recovery.

and on the surface of the froth. Bubble collapse rate decreased as the
concentration of the bacterial cells increased. The decreased bubble
coalescence might be explained by lower concentrations of less hy-
drophobic mineral particles (Ata et al., 2003), and the attachment of
the bacterial cells to bubble surfaces (Suzuki et al., 2008), both
inhibiting bubble coalescence. Bubble collapse or coalescence is
expected to have an effect on bubble size on the surface. It is expected
that a decreasing collapse rate should coincide with a decreasing bub-
ble size (Runge et al., 2007). This relationship was confirmed by the
experimental results in Fig. 6 (B). This figure shows the correlation
between bubble collapse rate and average bubble size, which was cal-
culated using the standard approach (Runge et al., 2007). The average
bubble size decreased with decreasing bubble collapse rate. A visual
representation of this phenomenon is gathered from the images in
Fig. 3. In the absence of bacterial cells, the froth was composed of
large bubbles loaded with chalcopyrite. However, as the bacterial
concentration increased, the color faded, indicating less loading of
chalcopyrite and therefore lower recoveries. At the same time, the
bubble size decreased because small bubbles were no longer coalesc-
ing into larger ones.
The sub-process of formation of stable particle-bubble aggregates
might also be affected by froth velocity changes that alter the resi-
dence time of particles in the froth (Gorain et al., 1998; Hatfield et
al., 2003). Fig. 7 (A) shows the relationship between froth velocity
and bacterial concentration. The froth velocity decreased as the con-
centration of the bacterial cells was increased. A decrease in the
froth velocity means an increase in the residence time of particles in
the froth, which would lead to increased detachment of moderately
hydrophobic particles (Gorain et al., 1998; Hatfield et al., 2003).
Fig. 7 (B) shows the correlation between flotation recovery and
froth velocity. Poor flotation performance was correlated with reduc- Fig. 6. (A) Change in bubble collapse rate at increasing concentrations of E. coli cells;
tions in the froth velocity. (B) relationship between average bubble size and bubble collapse rate.
44 W. Liu et al. / International Journal of Mineral Processing 123 (2013) 39–45
Fig. 7. (A) Froth velocity at increasing concentrations of E. coli cells; (B) correlation be-
tween froth velocity and chalcopyrite recovery.
3.3. Effect of bacterial cells on solution chemistry
Bacterial cells could also affect flotation efficiency by changing the
pH and Eh of the pulp. Changes in pH and Eh can affect chalcopyrite
surface oxidation and thus surface hydrophobicity (Fairthorne et al.,
1997). Surface oxidation leads to dissolution of iron and, to a lesser
extent, copper, leaving a metal deficient and sulfur-rich surface. The
dissolved metals may also hydrolyze to produce metal hydroxides,
which may precipitate on mineral surfaces. Thus the surface hydro-
phobicity is controlled by these two processes, i.e., metal dissolution
that produces a hydrophobic surface and precipitation of metal hy-
droxides that produces a hydrophilic surface.
Fig. 8 shows the effect of the bacterial cells on slurry pH and Eh
for the entire flotation time. It seems that pH decreased at increas-
ing bacterial concentrations. There was a pronounced decrease in
Eh with the increase of the bacterial concentration. The decrease
in Eh might be related with the resistance of the bacterial cells to
oxygen transfer to slurry (Galaction et al., 2004). The decreased
Eh hindered surface oxidation and thus hydrolysis of dissolved
metals, resulting in less hydrogen ions produced from the hydroly-
sis. This was contradictory to the observed decrease in pH. The pH
drop might be due to the buffer in the cell suspension, because
the initial bacterial concentration was adjusted by adding more
bacterial culture suspended in bigger volumes of PBS solution at
pH 7. The flotation slurries had a pH of about 8. Therefore, the
morePBS that was added into the flotation cell, the lower the final
pH should be. The reduction in Eh might have changed chalcopyrite
surface hydrophobicity, which, in turn, negatively affected the
sub-processes of particle-bubble attachment and formation of sta-
ble particle-bubble aggregates in the froth layer.
Fig. 8. A) Slurry pH at different bacterial concentrations; (B) slurry Eh at different bac-
terial concentrations.
4. Conclusions
Flotation efficiency depends on the efficiency of the three
sub-processes involved: particle-bubble collision, particle-bubble at-
tachment, and formation of particle-bubble aggregates. The experi-
mental results show that the bacterial cells affected the efficiency of
these sub-processes by affecting the properties of the particles, bub-
bles and aqueous solution. The very presence of bacteria in solution
resulted in a cascade of effects that ultimately manifested themselves
as decreased recovery of chalcopyrite and therefore reduced flotation
efficiency.
First, the presence of bacteria in the slurry resulted in their attach-
ment to chalcopyrite surfaces. In turn, the attachment of the bacterial
cells impacted the attachment of collector to the particles, leading to
decreased mineral surface hydrophobicity. The more bacteria in solu-
tion, the more bacteria that attached to mineral surfaces, and the
greater the reduction in mineral surface hydrophobicity. The reduc-
tion in surface hydrophobicity reduced the attachment of mineral
particles to the bubbles. As a result, the bubbles were less loaded
with particles upon entering the froth phase. The less-loading bubbles
resulted in them not being able to coalesce into larger bubbles once in
the froth phase. As a result, the froth was less stable and overflowed
at a lower froth velocity. The lower stability combined with longer
residence time allowed the froth to lose more particles back to the
pulp phase. The consequences of these effects manifested themselves
both in the froth characteristics as well as in the metallurgy. In es-
sence, all of the phenomena described resulted in less chalcopyrite
reporting to the overflowing froth. In metallurgical terms, all of
these events ultimately manifested themselves as reduced recovery
and poor flotation efficiency.
 W. Liu et al. / International Journal of Mineral Processing 123 (2013) 39–45
This study succeeded in establishing the mechanisms by which the
presence of the bacteria cells had a negative effect on flotation efficiency.
It is noteworthy to mention that real flotation water on mine sites may
have a variety of bacteria over a wide range of concentrations, which
may alter the mechanisms. With the understanding of the underlying
mechanisms, the development of solutions to these negative effects
now becomes possible. For example, the results of the mechanism stud-
ies indicate that the most important reason for the negative effect was
the reduction in particle surface hydrophobicity. Therefore, one efficient
solution to deal with the effect might be to increase collector dosage or
even develop a new reagent that competes effectively with bacteria to
increase particle surface hydrophobicity. Furthermore, other solutions
that consider the opportunities from the entire site water system
might also exist. In certain situations, the negative bacterial effect could
be used to the advantage of the flotation operation. For example, bacteria
could be used to reduce the recovery of one mineral over that of another
in situations where a selective flotation is required (Elmahdy et al., 2011;
Evdokimova et al., 2012; Pecina-Trevino et al., 2012). Further research
will advance and refine the search for suitable solutions to the negative
effects posed by biotic water constituents.
Acknowledgements
Funding for this study was provided by ARC-Linkage project
(#LP0883872) “Impact of recycled and low quality process water on
sustainable mineral beneficiation practices”, which is part of AMIRA
project P260E. All flotation experiments were carried out in the lab
at Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC).
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