Synergistic effects of Triton X-100 and kerosene on the flotation removal of unburned carbon from fly ash

Traditional hydrocarbon oil collectors, such as kerosene and diesel are difficult to effectively separate unburned carbon particles from fly ash by flotation. In this investigation, synergistic collection of unburned carbon particles using the mixture of Triton X-100 and kerosene was studied to reduce the loss on ignition (LOI) of tailings and meet the quality of fly ash used as potential materials. The X-Ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) and induction time were used to investigate the adsorption behavior of Triton X-100 and kerosene on the surface of unburned carbon, and the results demonstrate that Triton X-100 and kerosene both adsorbed on the unburned carbon surface which improved the hydrophobicity of the unburned carbon surface. Focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM) and particle video microscope (PVM) were used to detect the size distribution of kerosene droplet affected by the addition of Triton X-100 in the flotation cell and the results showed that Triton X-100 reduced the size of kerosene droplets because of the emulsification action of Triton X-100. Therefore, the collision probability of unburned carbon and oil droplets was increased. Flotation results indicated that the combination of Triton X-100 and kerosene used as a collector significantly reduced LOI of tailings (< 10%).

Automated summary

This study investigated the synergistic collection of unburned carbon particles using a mixture of Triton X-100 and kerosene in order to reduce loss on ignition (LOI) of tailings during flotation. The results showed that Triton X-100 and kerosene both adsorbed on the unburned carbon surface, improving its hydrophobicity, and Triton X-100 reduced the size of kerosene droplets which increased the collision probability of unburned carbon and oil droplets. The combination of Triton X-100 and kerosene significantly reduced LOI of tailings in the flotation process.