Abstract：
The depletion of high-grade and coarse-grain ores has led to an increasing demand for the development of efficient separation technologies for low-grade and fine-grain ores. However, conventional froth flotation techniques are not adequate to efficiently recover fine and ultrafine particles (typically <10-15 μm) due to the low collision probability between these particles and the relatively large bubbles used in the process. The introduction of microbubbles has shown promise in enhancing particle recovery, making it a subject of significant interest. Thus, this review focuses on microbubble generation methods that have the potential to be scaled up for industrial applications, with a specific emphasis on their suitability for froth flotation. The methods are categorized based on their scalability: high-hydrodynamic cavitation, porous media/medium-dissolved air, electrolysis/low-microfluidics, and acoustic methods. The bubble generation mechanisms, characteristics, advantages and limitations of each method and its applications in froth flotation are discussed to provide suggestions for improvement. There is still no appropriate technology that can optimize bubble size distribution, production rate and cost together for industrial froth flotation application. Therefore, novel approaches of combining multiple methods are also explored to achieve the potential synergic effects. By addressing the limitations of current microbubble generation methods and proposing potential enhancements, this review aims to contribute to the development of efficient and cost-effective microbubble generation technologies for fine and ultrafine particles in the froth flotation industry.
摘要：
高品位和粗粒矿石的枯竭导致对开发低品位和细粒矿石的高效分离技术的需求日益增加。然而,传统的泡沫浮选技术不足以有效地回收细颗粒和超细颗粒(通常<10-15μm),这是由于这些颗粒和在该过程中使用的相对大的气泡之间的低碰撞概率。微泡的引入在提高颗粒回收率方面显示出了希望，使它成为一个非常感兴趣的主题。因此，这篇综述侧重于微气泡生成方法，这些方法有可能扩大用于工业应用，特别强调它们对泡沫浮选的适用性。这些方法根据其可扩展性进行分类：高水力空化，多孔介质/中等溶解空气，电解/低微流体，和声学方法。气泡产生机制，特点,讨论了各种方法的优缺点及其在泡沫浮选中的应用，并提出了改进建议。仍然没有合适的技术可以优化气泡尺寸分布，工业泡沫浮选应用的生产率和成本。因此,还探索了多种方法结合的新方法，以实现潜在的协同作用。通过解决当前微泡生成方法的局限性并提出潜在的增强功能，这篇综述旨在为泡沫浮选行业中的细颗粒和超细颗粒开发高效和具有成本效益的微气泡生成技术做出贡献。
