Behavior of macerals in the process of hard coal flotation

Abstract

Due to the inherent hydrophobic nature of coal, flotation is very effective in upgrading coal fines of particle size below 0.5 mm. To verify the applicability of flotation on black coal slurry samples from the Upper Silesian Basin, black coal slurries from four mines were selected, namely CSM Mine and CSA Mine in the Czech Republic, and Jankowice Mine and Kleofas Mine in Poland. The article further aims to describe the transfer of different coal macerals into the flotation concentrates and the flotation tailings. For this purpose, Flotalex and Montanol flotation collectors were used. These collectors are generally applied in coal preparation plants both in the Czech Republic and Poland. The flotation and petrological results imply that the floatability of the given coal slurry samples is approximately equal when applying Flotalex or Montanol. It is apparent from the petrological analysis results that 82.3% (applying Flotalex) and 88.8% (applying Montanol) of vitrinite maceral group pass into the flotation concentrate in three minutes.