Abstract: An ultrasound flotation unit for separation of tails from liquors obtained by floating ores, wherein the unit comprises a vertically disposed cylindrical mixing chamber that forms a bubble-particle contact region within a cylindrical flotation cell that has a bubble-pulp separation region surrounding said mixing chamber; the chamber having an air feed conduit in a lower portion thereof, an ore pulp feed conduit in a higher portion above said air feeding chamber, an ultrasonic transducer disposed above an aperture in a top portion of the mixing chamber and means for subjecting said chamber to an amount of power in kilowatt-hours per metric ton through a sonic probe to focus an amount in watt/ml of ultrasonic power to the chamber to provide a residence time of slurry within the bubble-pulp separator region that is about 30 to 100 times longer than in the ultrasonic mixing chamber.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for selectively separating a mixture of hydrophobic and hydrophilic mineral particles. A mineral pulp is prepared which includes minerals ground to a predetermined size. A bubble slurry is then prepared which includes a gas entrained in a liquid to form bubbles of a predetermined size. The mineral pulp and bubble slurry are simultaneously injected into the cell apparatus. The cell has an enclosed body with a feed receiving portion, a narrowed apex portion with an underflow discharge, and an intermediately disposed merger zone. A mineral pulp feed port extends into and is directed tangentially to the feed receiving portion in the mineral pulp feed zone. The bubble slurry feed port, disposed in the same direction as the mineral pulp feed port, extends into and is directed tangentially to the feed receiving portion in the bubble slurry zone.

Abstract: A system for the continuous dielectrophoretic separation of mixtures of particulate and granular materials by passing the materials through a divergent electric field created in a fluid dielectric medium by applying a voltage to an electrode configuration including a rotatable cylindrical-shaped electrode having a non-uniform conductor surface and a stationary perforate electrode spaced therefrom to define a contact zone. The particles having dielectric constants lower than that of the fluid medium are collected through the perforate electrode while those particles having dielectric constants higher than that of the fluid medium are attached to and separated by the rotatable electrode.