Determination of Critical Coalescence Concentration and Bubble Size for Surfactants Used as Flotation Frothers

The paper presents a correlation between the critical coalescence concentration and hydrophilic-lipophilic balance/molecular weight ratio for surfactants used as flotation frothers. The correlation is based on experimental data published in literature. The obtained empirical equation allows one to accurately predict the critical coalescence concentration based only on the chemical structure of the frother. It was found that another empirical equation, based on one adjustable parameter called the frother concentration constant, can be used to predict the Sauter mean bubble size d(32) for different flotation frothers.