Reactor for improving the recovery of valuable elements by flotation and operating process

CA3318263A1Pending Publication Date: 2026-09-21UNIV DE CONCEPCION +1
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Patent Information

Application Number
CA3318263
Authority / Receiving Office
CA · CA
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2023-12-21
Filing Date
2024-03-22
Publication Date
2026-09-21

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Current technologies for mineral flotation, particularly in the copper and molybdenum sulfide mining industry, face challenges such as variations in mineral pulp rheology, decreasing ore grades, and inefficient use of water, leading to decreased productivity and mineral recovery.

Method used

The development of a reactor system, known as BCR Technology, which optimally conditions reagents by adhering them to bubbles used in the flotation process, enhancing the physicochemical properties of the water/air interface and improving mineral recovery.

Benefits of technology

BCR Technology significantly improves mineral recovery rates, achieving increases of up to 26 percentage points for copper, 18 percentage points for molybdenum, and 42 percentage points for gold, while also optimizing water usage and handling various mineralogical characteristics.

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Abstract

A reactor for the optimal conditioning of reagents used in flotation of metal and non-metal mineral resources, comprising at least the following components: an emulsion generation zone; a bubble generation zone; an emulsion-bubble contact zone; a heating system; automatic control systems; and a system for injecting conditioned bubbles into a flotation cell. In addition to the operating process of this reactor.
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Description

[0001] Reactor to improve the recovery of valuable elements by flotation and operation process

[0002] Technical Sector

[0003] The present invention relates to the mining industry, more particularly, it corresponds to a reactor to improve the recovery of valuable elements by flotation and its operating process.

[0004] Previous Technique

[0005] The processing of copper minerals and other mining resources currently presents significant challenges, highlighting problems associated with the variation in the rheology of mineral pulps, the decrease in grades due to the constant process of exploitation of the deposits, the greater dissemination of minerals of interest or ore in the gangue, the processing of complex ores with high contents of phyllosilicates [1, 2, 3] and the decrease in the availability of water for industrial uses, which makes it necessary to increase the efficiency in its use [4]. All these adverse elements negatively affect the efficiency of the unit operations considered in the processing of minerals, which is reflected in the decrease in productivity and recovery of the minerals of interest in the concentration stages.

[0006] The mineral flotation process is widely used in the mining industry for the concentration of various valuable mineral resources and is currently the most widely used process for concentrating copper and molybdenum sulfide minerals. Flotation is a concentration process in which three phases converge: a solid phase, represented by the mineral particles; a liquid phase, commonly considered water or brines [1, 5, 6, 7, 8]; and a gaseous phase dispersed in the form of bubbles, which can be air or various specific gases depending on the application and the surface behavior of the particles to be concentrated.For the flotation process to operate effectively, the mineral particles to be concentrated (e.g. copper or molybdenum minerals) must adhere to the bubbles with the intention that the stable particle / bubble pair has a lower relative density than the medium, causing them to rise through the pulp and the minerals of interest can be extracted to the surface in the form of foam [9,10]. On the other hand, for this process to be effective, a series of physicochemical conditions must be met that allow the particles to be collected as concentrate, such as low surface tension of the liquid, stability of the flotation foam, surface state of the particles of interest, among others specific for the concentration of different mining resources. The control of these conditions requires chemical reagents that modify the interfacial properties of the three-phase system in such a way as to optimize the efficiency of the process.In this sense, in general, flotation reagents are classified into collectors, frothers and modifiers, each with its defined functions and with subclassifications depending on the applications and their physicochemistry. Collectors are the reagents responsible for inducing and / or improving the hydrophobicity of the minerals of interest, promoting the increase of the attractive forces between the particles and the bubbles in the collision so that stable pairs are generated [1 1 ,12,13,14]. The generation of these stable pairs was defined by Young in the equation that relates the interfacial tensions of the water / air / particle system with the hydrophobicity of the solid surface [1 1 ,15,16]. This relationship indicates that the higher the contact angle, the lower the wettability of the mineral, which can be explained as an increase in the hydrophobicity of the particles and, therefore, a greater affinity with the gas phase.

[0007] In general, the interactions between collector reagents and mineral particles occur selectively through adsorption processes and selective surface reactions, which require adequate interfacial physicochemical conditions. These conditions are usually achieved by adding reagents at different points in the process, depending on the conditioning times of each reagent. For this reason, many metallurgical plants add lime (to modify the pH) and some specific slow-acting reagents during the grinding process. The circuit also has conditioning tanks where reagents are added and a conditioning time is granted in an agitated system, depending on the required reaction times.

[0008] Currently, the technologies available on the market for dosing flotation reagents are focused on the conditioning of mineral pulps, either using conditioners such as stirred tanks or by sequentially adding the reagents in the different unit operations (grinding-flotation). These methods are highly validated at an industrial level, however, there are often situations in which there is a lack of selectivity of some reagents where, in general, there is excessive consumption due to the reaction with gangues that are not of interest [17,18,19,20,21 ],

[0009] There are other relatively new theories that propose the possibility of improving reagent conditioning by promoting the coating of the bubbles used in flotation with polar / non-polar collector reagents, a technique known as oily bubles conditioning [16,22,23,24,25,26,27,28]. Bubble conditioning has been investigated conceptually and at laboratory level, achieving good results in improving the recovery of minerals and other mining resources by flotation [25,29,30]. In particular, at laboratory level they have been studied in the oil sands industry with results showing that in these cases the bitumens have a greater affinity for bubbles coated with hydrocarbons.Likewise, the effect of bubble conditioning on the flotation of coals that presented complex flotation conditions such as oxidation, fine granulometry, low range has been studied, achieving positive results with good selectivity and recovery [12,22,23,31,32,33].

[0010] Laskowski

[0015] presented thermodynamically the explanation from which he exposes that having coated bubbles increases the capacity of particle / bubble interaction and decreases the force necessary for the particles to break the liquid film that covers the bubbles and promote the generation of stable pairs. Keeping in mind the selectivity that bubble conditioning can generate, a variation of these has been experimentally evaluated at laboratory scale that has been called "reactive bubble conditioning", in which bubbles are used to transport polar and non-polar collectors, seeking to have the benefits of having the collector on the surface of the bubble and generate greater selectivity when processing minerals that do not present natural hydrophobicity [17,24,26,28,34],

[0011] Although the concept of bubble conditioning has been reported, there are currently no efficient reactor technologies that allow for the bubble coating process to improve the recovery of hydrophobic particles by flotation.

[0012] The most relevant patents related to this proposal are described below:

[0013] Patent CL65,410 which protects a mineral flotation process to increase the recovery of molybdenite and copper sulfides and, in particular, sets forth the concept of using bubble conditioning in conjunction with polyethylene oxide (PEO) in a coupled process by means of which the recovery of molybdenite and fine copper sulfides can be increased.

[0014] Patent application W02010 / 026376A1 describes the generation of encapsulated bubbles in a continuous oil-like medium, which is useful in applications in the cosmetics and food industries, among others. This invention is not focused on the mineral flotation process, as it uses the concept of coating bubbles with non-soluble oils.

[0015] US Patent 6,959,815B2 relates to a method for generating bubble conditioning and reactive bubble conditioning for microflotation systems, seeking the selective flotation of non-hydrophobic minerals. This invention does not consider the design of equipment for industrial use in the flotation of Cu-Mo minerals, nor specific physicochemical procedures and conditions for Cu-Mo.

[0016] US Patent 6,827,220B1 focuses on the use of triglycerides, esters, long-chain alcohols, and oils as collecting reagents in sulfide mineral flotation processes. US Patent 5,068,028 protects the use of ozone as an alternative gas for the selective flotation of copper-molybdenum sulfide minerals. It is focused on the possibility of analyzing different gaseous media to improve selectivity in selective flotation processes.

[0017] Application CL201403023 discloses a method and apparatus for separating molybdenite from copper-molybdenum ores containing pyrite, comprising a grinding circuit; a first flotation circuit; a grinding circuit for the residues; a second flotation circuit for the ground residues; and a flotation circuit for the two concentrates.

[0018] Patent CL54.030 which protects a process for depressing copper and separating molybdenite from a Cu and Mo concentrate by selective flotation, where the concentrate is conditioned and thickened and then gaseous H2S is added as a Cu depressing agent, separating a low-grade Mo concentrate which is successively floated obtaining molybdenite concentrate with 50% Mo.

[0019] In general, bubble coating with nonpolar collectors has been considered only in laboratory-scale research studies, applied to the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, among others. In the mining sector, this topic has been studied in the bitumen industry, where a laboratory-scale application prototype has been developed. Applications in which modification of bubble surface properties has been proposed do not focus on the recovery of molybdenite depressed by the action of hydrolyzable cations such as Mg and Ca, nor do they describe the effect of preventing the adhesion of colloidal precipitates of Mg and Ca to bubbles.In general, none of the patents mentioned describe a reactor for industrial application in flotation in general, nor for the Cu-Mo mineral processing industry in particular; nor do they specify the physicochemical conditions and procedures associated with bubble conditioning for flotation of this type of ore.

[0020] References:

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[0035] 16. A. Ramirez, L. Gutierrez, and J. S. Laskowski, “Use of ‘oily bubbles’ and dispersants in flotation of molybdenite in fresh and seawater,” Miner. Eng., vol. 148, Mar. 2020, doi: 10.1016 / j.mineng.2020.106197.

[0036] 17. P. K. Ackerman, G. H. Harris, R. R. Klimpel, and F. F. Apian, “Evaluation of flotation collectors for copper sulfides and pyrite, I. Common sulfhydryl collectors,” Int. J. Miner. Process., vol. 21 , no. 1-2, pp. 105-127, 1987, doi: 10.1016 / 0301 -7516(87)90009-3.

[0037] 18. Y. Mu and Y. Peng, “The effect of saline water on copper activation of pyrite in chalcopyrite flotation,” Miner. Eng., vol. 131 , no. November 2018, pp. 336-341 , 2019, doi: 10.1016 / j.mineng.2018.11 .032.

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[0039] 20. Kang and J. Chen, “Effects of galvanic interaction on collectorless flotation behavior of galena and pyrite,” Adv. Mater. Res., vol. 402, pp. 514-517, 2012, doi: 10.4028 / www. scientific.net / AMR.402.514.

[0040] 21. Z. Ekmekgi and H. Demirel, “Effects of galvanic interaction on collectorless flotation behaviour of chalcopyrite and pyrite,” Int. J. Miner. Process., vol. 52, no. 1 , pp. 31-48, Nov. 1997, doi: 10.1016 / S0301 -7516(97)00050-1. 22. S. Chen, L. Tang, X. Tao, H. He, Z. Yang, and L. Chen, “Exploration on the mechanism of oily-bubble flotation of long-flame coal,” Fuel, vol. 216, no. October 2017, pp. 427-435, 2018, doi: 10.1016 / j.fuel.2O17.10.126.

[0041] 23. S. Chen et al., “Oily bubble flotation technology combining modeling and optimization of parameters for enhancement of flotation of low-flame coal,” Powder Technol., vol. 335, pp. 171-185, Jul. 2018, doi: 10.1016 / j.powtec.2018.04.053.

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[0045] 27. F. Zhou, L. Wang, Z. Xu, Q. Liu, and R. Chi, “Interaction of reactive oily bubble in flotation of bastnaesite,” J. Rare Earths, vol. 32, no. 8, pp. 772-778, 2014, doi: 10.1016 / S1002-0721 (14)60139-3.

[0046] 28. F. Zhou, L. Wang, Z. Xu, Y. Rúan, Z. Zhang, and R. Chi, “Role of reactive oily bubble in apatite flotation,” Colloids Surfaces A Physicochem. Eng. Asp., vol. 513, pp. 1 1-19, 2017, doi: 10.1016 / j.colsurfa.2016.1 1.024.

[0047] 29. H. M. Tarkan, D. K. Bayliss, and J. A. Finch, “Investigation on foaming properties of some organics for oily bubble bitumen flotation,” Int. J. Miner. Process., vol. 90, no. 1-4, pp. 90-96, 2009, doi: 10.1016 / j.minpro.2008.10.008.

[0048] 30. V. Wallwork, Z. Xu, and J. Masliyah, “Bitumen recovery with oily air bubbles,” Can. J. Chem. Eng., vol. 81 , no. 5, pp. 993-997, 2003, doi: 10.1002 / cjce.5450810510.

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[0052] 34. F. Zhou, L. Wang, Z. Xu, Y. Ruan, and R. Chi, “A study on novel reactive oily bubble technology enhanced collophane flotation,” Int. J. Miner. Process., vol. 169, pp. 85-90, 2017, doi: 10.1016 / j.minpro.2017.10.011.

[0053] Divulgación de la Invención

[0054] The present invention relates to a reactor and its operating process, which allows for optimal conditioning of the reagents used in flotation through their adhesion to the bubbles used in the process. The bubble conditioning reactor will hereinafter be referred to as BCR Technology, which stands for "Bubbles Conditioning Reactor." BCR Technology can be used in the flotation of metallic and non-metallic mineral resources and significantly improves recovery in the flotation process of minerals containing sulfides of metallic and non-metallic minerals, for example, molybdenite and chalcopyrite, having a superior recovery effect for minerals with greater natural hydrophobicity, such as molybdenite.Some applications of the technology have achieved increases in copper recovery of 26 percentage points, 18 percentage points in molybdenum, and even 42 percentage points in gold.

[0055] Advantageously, it improves mineral recovery by optimizing the physicochemical properties of the water / air interface associated with the formation of bubbles used in the flotation process. This ensures that the bubbles are properly surface-conditioned with a thin film of nonpolar and polar collectors, surfactants, and other inorganic and organic reagents before entering a flotation cell.

[0056] BCR technology comprehensively considers the strategies, methods, and instrumentation required to adequately condition bubbles and ensure their subsequent entry into flotation cells. It can be applied to the various flotation concentration stages of a metallurgical plant, such as the rougher or primary, cleaner, scavenger, or other stages.

[0057] BCR technology complements flotation cells of various types and sizes, allowing it to be used to concentrate minerals with different mineralogical characteristics and at different stages of the flotation process. It also enhances the flotation of naturally hydrophobic minerals, as well as minerals that require collectors to enhance their hydrophobicity. BCR technology functions as a complementary component of a flotation cell and is noninvasive, which advantageously allows it to be installed in mechanical or pneumatic flotation cells, among others, without interfering with the normal operation of a flotation plant.

[0058] At present, there is no registered technology that allows this bubble conditioning to be carried out and that presents a clear difference with respect to the existing methodologies for the conditioning of these, because it allows the process to be carried out at variable temperature, having as the only condition that both the water and the reagents used are in a liquid state, which differentiates it from developments at the laboratory level in which the gasification of hydrocarbons must be carried out, which due to the risks, mechanical and technical requirements and associated operational costs can present a limitation for its scaling and application.

[0059] A detailed description of BCR technology is presented below, taking Figure 1 as reference, which shows the sections of the BCR equipment. In particular, this technology is composed of at least 6 main elements: an emulsion generation zone (A), a bubble generation zone (B) that has a gas injection system (E), a contact zone between emulsion and bubbles (C), a heating system (D), an automatic control system (F and H), and a system for injecting bubbles conditioned to a flotation cell (G). The details of its components are described below:

[0060] A. Emulsion generation zone.

[0061] The emulsion generation zone (A) has as its main function the generation of an emulsion of collector reagent droplets (1) in water (2). It is composed of three sections: collector shear section (A-

[0062] 1 ), mixing shear section (A-2) and transfer section (A-3).

[0063] The collector shear section (A-1) may preferably, but not exclusively, have a cylindrical, square, rectangular, helical, or other geometry; the shearing of the collectors may preferably, but not exclusively, be carried out using mechanical means, such as high shear agitators; where the volume occupied by the collector shear section (A-1) must be at most 1 / 4 of the total volume of the emulsion generation zone (A) and may be located on the side, bottom, middle, or top of zone A. On the other hand, the shear section of the collector mixture with water to generate the emulsion (A-

[0064] 2) may preferably, but not exclusively, have a cylindrical, square, rectangular, helical, or other geometry; the shearing of the mixture to generate the emulsion of flotation reagents in water may be preferably, but not exclusively, carried out using mechanical methods, such as high shear agitators, applying low / medium / high frequency ultrasound, using nebulizers, or others; where the volume occupied by the mixing shear section (A-2) must be at most 3 / 4 of the total volume of the emulsion generation zone (A) and may be located on the side, bottom, middle, or top of zone A. Finally, the emulsion transfer section (A-3) may preferably, but not exclusively, have a cylindrical, square, rectangular, helical, or other geometry; where the volume occupied by the emulsion transfer section (A-

[0065] 3) must be at most 1 / 4 of the total volume of the emulsion generation zone (A) and may be located on the side, bottom, middle or top of zone A. All zones (A-1, A-2 and A-3) are connected to each other by means of communicating pipe-type vessels with a geometry that may be preferably, but not exclusively, cylindrical, square, rectangular, helical, or other.

[0066] The collectors (1 ) are injected entirely in section A-1 and can be of all types, in the case of copper and molybdenum: non-polar collectors, of the preferred, but not exclusive, type Diesel, kerosene, paraffins and other organic hydrocarbons; collectors of low, medium or high solubility in water, which can be of the preferred, but not exclusive, type xanthates, xanthoformates, thionocarbamates, dithiophosphates and other organic reagents for copper sulfides and other metallic and non-metallic mining resources. Where the emulsion of collector reagent droplets generated in Zone A must be generated using water (2) of conductivities between 0.05 and 60.000 pS / cm, at temperatures between 5 and 80 °C, water / collector reagent mass ratio varying between 2:1 and 1000:1, in the presence of surfactants (3, 4), which may be preferably, but not exclusively, aliphatic alcohols, polyglycols and other reagents used in the flotation process at doses between 0.1 and 150 g / m. 3 of water. The collecting reagent droplets must have a minimum size of 0.1 nanometers and a maximum of 1000 micrometers, and with zeta potentials in 0.01 M NaCl solution between +100 and -100 mV; an interfacial tension between the flotation reagents and the aqueous phase that must be in the range between 15 and 60 mN / m.

[0067] Surfactants (3, 4) are injected into sections A-2 (3) and A-3 (4) in proportions varying between 0.1 and 100% to zone A-2 and the difference in section A-3. These surfactants (3, 4) allow the emulsion and the smaller collector reagent droplets to be stabilized and, therefore, increase the reagent surface area, which allows a greater probability of interaction of the collector reagents with the bubbles in the contact zone between emulsion and bubbles (C). The injection of the collector reagents (1), water (2) and surfactants (3, 4), is controlled using preferably, but not exclusively, a PLC-1 (F).

[0068] The emulsion generated in the emulsion generation zone (A) passes to a contact zone between emulsion and bubbles (C) as a result of the pressure generated by the injection of collector reagents (1), water (2) and surfactants (3-4) which varies between 1 and 220 psi.

[0069] B. Bubble generation zone.

[0070] The main function of the bubble generation zone (B) is to generate bubbles, which subsequently come into contact with the collector reagent droplets in the contact zone between emulsion and bubbles (C). The bubble generation zone (B) may have a volume that must be at most 3 / 4 of the total volume of the BCR reactor and may be located at the bottom, side, middle or top of the BCR reactor. The bubble generation zone (B) may preferably, but not exclusively, have a cylindrical, square, rectangular, helical, or other geometry.

[0071] The injection of gas (5) into water to generate bubbles must be carried out using a distribution manifold (E) in an arrangement that allows a homogeneous gas flow in volume and pressure through the bubble generation zone (B), where the gas injection pressure must be between 1 and 50 psi. The gas injection (5) for bubble generation can be carried out preferably, but not exclusively, using porous bodies (spargers); mechanical means, such as high shear agitators; applying low / medium / high frequency ultrasound; or using nebulizers. In the particular case of bubble generation using porous bodies (spargers), the gas injection must be proportional to their number, so the injection system must have a distribution of spargers proportional to the required air flow and, therefore, the BCR reactor has an arrangement that allows achieving superficial gas velocity values ​​(J g) and hold-up gas (e g ) required, and have a homogeneous air dispersion.

[0072] The bubbles generated in the bubble generation zone (B) pass to the contact zone between emulsion and bubbles (C) as a result of the pressure generated by the gas injection system (5) between 1 and 60 psi. The gas injected into the bubble generation zone (B) is controlled preferably, but not exclusively, by means of a PLC-2 (H), through air flow controllers that allow having variable injection capacities to the manifold (E) and making mixed feed connections to the bubble injection system conditioned to a flotation cell (G), alternatively having options to feed a fraction of gas to the contact zone between emulsion and bubbles (C) and another portion to zone (B).

[0073] The gas bubbles generated in the bubble generation zone (B) must have a maximum size of 2 millimeters and a minimum of 1 micrometer, zeta potentials in 0.01 M NaCl solution between +50 and -100 mV; air / water interfacial tension in the range between 10 and 60 mN / m. Bubble generation must be carried out using water (6) with conductivities between 0.05 and 60,000 pS / cm and temperatures between 5 and 80 °C. Furthermore, gas (5), water (6) and surfactants (7) must be injected into the bubble generation zone (B); the gas to be used may be preferably, but not exclusively, air, nitrogen, or other; the superficial gas velocity (J g ) in the bubble generation zone (B) must be between 0.01 and 10 cm / s and the gas hold-up (s g ) between 0.1 and 30%; the surfactants to be used may preferably, but not exclusively, be aliphatic alcohols, polyglycols and other reagents used in the flotation process at doses between 0.1 and 100 g / m3 water.

[0074] C. Contact zone between emulsion and bubbles.

[0075] The contact zone (C) between the emulsion generated in zone A and the bubbles generated in zone B has the function of ensuring that the collector reagent droplets generated in the emulsion generation zone (A) cover the bubbles generated in the bubble generation zone (B), in order to achieve optimal conditions in the flotation process. The contact zone between the emulsion and the bubbles (C) may have a maximum volume of 1 / 4 of the total volume of the BCR reactor and may be located at the bottom, side, middle, or top of the BCR reactor. The contact zone between the emulsion and the bubbles (C) may preferably, but not exclusively, have a cylindrical, square, rectangular, helical, or other geometry.

[0076] The contact between the collector reagent drops and the generated bubbles must be carried out at temperatures between 15 and 60 °C, which ensures the correct dispersion of the reagents on the bubbles. Water (8) with conductivities between 0.05 and 60,000 pS / cm, at flow rates between 0.2 and 10 times the sum of the flow rates added to zones A (2) and B (6) must be injected into the contact zone between emulsion and bubbles (C) to promote the exit of the conditioned bubbles towards the conditioned bubble injection system in the flotation cell (G).

[0077] D. Heating system.

[0078] All phenomena related to zones A, B, and C of the BCR reactor depend on temperature, including emulsion generation, bubble generation, and contact between reactants and bubbles. In particular, the temperature of the contact zone between emulsion and bubbles (C) must be kept between 20 and 50 °C, which is achieved through a heating system (D), which allows for optimal results.

[0079] The heating system allows to maintain the temperature of the BCR reactor in suitable ranges (20 - 50 °C), which can be through: electric heating (for example: electric resistances, magnetic induction), combustion heating (for example: gas or liquid fuel burners), steam heating (for example: steam heat exchangers), microwave heating (for example microwaves), or radiation heating (for example, infrared radiation).

[0080] The choice of heating system will depend on factors such as the nature of the material in the reactor, the required temperature and pressure, energy efficiency, and process safety.

[0081] E. Gas injection manifold.

[0082] The gas injection manifold (E) is a device that allows the distribution of the gas flow that is injected into zones B and C, and its main function is to facilitate the connection and control of the gas injection lines. The gas manifold (E) allows the injection of gas (5) and must be arranged to facilitate a homogeneous gas flow in volume and pressure through the bubble generation zone (B). The gas injection pressure must be between 1 and 60 psi.

[0083] F. Programmable Logic Controller, PLC-1.

[0084] The injection of the collector reagents (1), water (2) and surfactants (3, 4), is controlled using preferably, but not exclusively, a Programmable Logic Controller, PLC-1, (F). This PLC-1 allows to supervise and control processes and its main function is to take data and control connected devices according to a program. The PLC-1 to be used may be preferably, but not exclusively, compact, general purpose, PLC Programmable by Ladder Logic Language, modular, network PLC, standard PLC, specialized PLC or large PLC. G. System for injecting bubbles conditioned to a flotation cell.

[0085] The reagent-conditioned bubble injection system can preferably, but not exclusively, be carried out using pneumatic methods, with lances and nebulizers that allow reaching the different zones of the flotation cell. The objective is to achieve homogeneous injection of conditioned bubbles within the flotation cell (G). The injection rates of air, water, and reagents will be defined by the operating conditions of zones A, B, and C.

[0086] H. PLC-2

[0087] The gas injection (5) is controlled using preferably, but not exclusively, a PLC-2 (F), which is used to monitor and control processes and its main function is to take data and control connected devices according to a program. The PLC-2 to be used may be preferably, but not exclusively, compact, general purpose, Ladder Logic Programmable PLC, modular, network PLC, standard PLC, specialized PLC or large PLC.

[0088] Application examples

[0089] Example 1: Evaluation of BCR technology for copper and molybdenum minerals.

[0090] This test corresponds to the use of BCR technology for the flotation of copper sulfide minerals with copper, molybdenum grades and ore and gangue mineralogies summarized in Table 1. These minerals were acquired from different Chilean porphyry copper deposits.

[0091] Table 1. Ore and gangue grades and mineralogy of mineral samples.

[0092] Rougher flotation tests were performed in a 5.0 L EDEMET laboratory cell at a P80 feed to flotation of 150 pm, 30% pulp solids, pH 9.5, and 1200 rpm agitation. The results obtained using BCR technology (ON case) and without BCR technology (OFF case) were compared.

[0093] Tables 2 to 4 show the operating conditions of BCR technology.

[0094] Table 2. Design parameters for emulsion generation Zone A and F PLC-1 Table 3. Design parameters for Zone B of bubble generation and E of gas injection manifold and G PLC-2

[0095] Table 4. Design parameters Zone C of contact between emulsion and bubbles, D heating system and G system of injection of bubbles conditioned to a flotation cell Table 6 shows the results of applying BCR technology. The results obtained show that with the application of BCR technology for the analyzed samples, Cu and Mo recoveries increased by 8-26 and 15-18 percentage points, respectively. Table 6. Results of BCR technology application. All results reported are at a weight recovery of 14%.

[0096] Example 2: BCR gold ore technology evaluation.

[0097] This test corresponds to the use of BCR technology for the flotation of gold ore with a head grade of 9.5 g / t. Rougher flotation tests were carried out in a 5.0 L EDEMET laboratory cell at P80 fed to flotation of 130 pm, 32% pulp solids, pH 8.5 and 1200 rpm agitation. The results obtained using BCR technology (ON case) and without BCR technology (OFF case) were compared. The operating conditions of the BCR technology were the same as in Example 1 and are summarized in Tables 2 to 4. The xanthate gold collector dosage was 125-140-160 g / t and MIBC froth agent 60 g / t.

[0098] Table 7 shows the results of applying BCR technology to gold ore flotation. The results show that the application of BCR technology to the analyzed samples resulted in increases in Au recovery of between 33 and 42 percentage points.

[0099] Table 7. Results of BCR technology application on gold ore. All results reported are at 6% weight recovery.

Claims

Claims 1. A reactor for conditioning reagents used in the flotation of metallic and non-metallic mineral resources, CHARACTERIZED in that it comprises at least the following components: a. an emulsion generation zone (A), where reagents used in the flotation process, such as collectors and surfactants, are emulsified in water; b. a bubble generation zone (B), where bubbles are produced by injecting gas into water; c. a contact zone between emulsion and bubbles (C), which allows the emulsion generated in the emulsion zone (A) to come into contact with the bubbles generated in the bubble generation zone (B), such that the bubbles are coated with the reagents present in the emulsion; d. a heating system (D) to maintain the temperature of the reactor zones A, B and C between 20 and 50 °C. SC; e. automatic control systems (F, H); and f. a system for injecting conditioned bubbles into a flotation cell (G). 2.- The reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in the flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that the emulsion generation zone (A) has three sections; a collector shear section (A-1) where collectors (1) are added, a mixing shear section (A-2) where water (2) and surfactant (3) are added, and a transfer section (A-3), where surfactant (4) is added; and where all are connected to each other by means of communicating vessels. 3.- The reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in the flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that the bubble generation zone (B) comprises a gas injection manifold (E) that allows a homogeneous gas flow in volume and pressure through the bubble generation zone (B) that operates between 1 -50 psi; where porous bodies are used for gas injection; mechanical means such as high shear agitators; applying low / medium / high frequency ultrasound; or using nebulizers; and where the generated bubbles pass to a contact zone between emulsion and bubbles. 4.- The reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that the contact zone between emulsion and bubbles (C) operates between 15-60 sC and process water (8) is injected into it to facilitate the exit of the conditioned bubbles towards a system for injecting conditioned bubbles into the flotation cell (G). 5.- The reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in the flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claims 1 and 2, CHARACTERIZED in that the collector shear section (A-1) has a cylindrical, square, rectangular or helical geometry; it is located in the lower, middle or upper part, occupying a maximum volume of 1 / 4 of the total volume of the emulsion generation zone (A). 6.- The reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in the flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claims 1 and 2, CHARACTERIZED in that in the collector shear section (A-1) mechanical means such as high shear agitators are used. 7.- The reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in the flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claims 1 and 2, CHARACTERIZED in that the shear section of the mixture (A-2) has a cylindrical, square, rectangular or helical geometry; it is located in the lower, middle or upper part, occupying a maximum volume of 3 / 4 of the total volume of the emulsion generation zone (A). 8.- The reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in the flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claims 1 and 2, CHARACTERIZED in that the shearing section of the mixture (A-2) for the generation of the emulsion of flotation reagents in water is carried out using mechanical means, applying low / medium / high frequency ultrasound or nebulizers. 9.- The reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in the flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claims 1 and 2, CHARACTERIZED in that the emulsion transfer section (A-3) has a cylindrical, square, rectangular or helical geometry; it is located in the lower, middle or upper part, occupying a maximum volume of 1 / 4 of the total volume of the emulsion generation zone (A). 10.- The reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claims 1 and 2, CHARACTERIZED in that all the collectors (1) are injected into the collector shear section (A-1). 1 1.- The reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claims 1 and 2, CHARACTERIZED in that surfactants (3) are injected into the mixing shear sections (A-2) and transfer (A-3) in proportions between 0.001 and 100% to the zone (A-2) and the difference in (A-3). 12.- The reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that the bubble generation zone (B) is located in the lower, middle or upper part of the reactor occupying a maximum volume of 3 / 4 of the total volume of the reactor. 13.- The reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that the bubble generation zone (B) has a cylindrical, square, rectangular or helical geometry. 14.- The reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in the flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that the contact zone between the emulsion and the bubbles (C) is located in the lower, middle or upper part, occupying a maximum volume of 1 / 4 of the total volume of the reactor. 15.- The reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in the flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that the contact zone between the emulsion and the bubbles (C) has a cylindrical, square, rectangular or helical geometry. 16.- The reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that in the contact zone between the emulsion and the bubbles (C), the water (8) must have conductivities between 0.05 and 60,000 pS / cm, at flow rates between 0.2 and 10 times the sum of the flow rates added to zones A (2) and B (6). 17.- The reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that the heating system (D) is by means of electrical heating, combustion, steam, microwaves or radiation. 18.- A process for operating a reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in the flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources, CHARACTERIZED in that it comprises at least the following stages: a. emulsion generation: in zone (A) an emulsion of collector reagent droplets (1 ) must be generated, with a minimum droplet size of 0.1 nanometers and a maximum of 1000 micrometers and with zeta potentials in 0.01 M NaCl solution between +100 and -100 mV; an interfacial tension between the flotation reagents and the aqueous phase in the range between 15 and 60 mN / m; adding water (2) of variable conductivity, at a temperature between 5 and 80°C, water / collector reagent mass ratio varying between 2:1 and 1000:1 , in the presence of surfactants (3) at doses between 0.1 and 150 g / m 3of water; where the injection of the collector reagents (1), water (2) and surfactants (3), is controlled using a PLC (F); and where the generation of the emulsion of flotation reagents in water is carried out using mechanical means; b. Bubble generation: in zone (B), gas bubbles with a maximum size of 2 millimeters and a minimum of 1 micrometer must be generated; zeta potentials in 0.01 M NaCl solution between +50 and -100 mV; air / water interfacial tension in the range between 10 and 60 mN / m; where bubbles are obtained using water (6) of variable conductivity and temperature between 5 and 80°C; gas injection (5) using porous bodies or mechanical means controlled by a PLC (H) through air flow controllers; and surfactants (7) with doses between 0.1 and 100 g / m 3of water; where the superficial gas velocity must be between 0.01 and 10 cm / s and the gas hold-up between 0.1 and 30 %; c. contact between the emulsion and the bubbles: the emulsion generated in the emulsion generation zone (A) passes to a contact zone between the emulsion and the bubbles (C) as a result of the pressure generated by the collector reagent injection system (1), water (2) and surfactants (3); in this zone, the collector reagent droplets cover the bubbles to achieve optimal conditions in the flotation process; where the contact between the collector reagent droplets and the generated bubbles must be carried out at temperatures between 15 and 60 °C, keeping the temperature controlled through a heating system (D); where process water must be injected to promote the exit of the conditioned bubbles towards the conditioned bubble injection system to the flotation cell (G). 19.- The process for operating the reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in the flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claim 18, CHARACTERIZED in that the collecting reagents are non-polar collectors of the diesel, kerosene and paraffin type. 20.- The process for operating the reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in the flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claim 18, CHARACTERIZED in that the collector reagents are collectors of low, medium or high solubility in water, of the xanthoformates, thionocarbamates, dithiophosphates type. 21.- The process for operating the reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claim 18, CHARACTERIZED in that the collecting reagents are organic reagents for copper sulfides. 22.- The process for operating the reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in the flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claim 18, CHARACTERIZED in that the surfactants (3) are aliphatic alcohols, polyglycols and reagents used in the flotation process. 23.- The process for operating the reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claim 18, CHARACTERIZED because the mechanical means for the Reactive emulsion generation uses high-shear stirrers; low / medium / high frequency ultrasound; or nebulizers. 24.- The process for operating the reactor for conditioning reagents used in the flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claim 18, CHARACTERIZED in that in zone (B) the mechanical means are high-shear agitators; low / medium / high frequency ultrasound or nebulizers. 25.- The process for operating the reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claim 18, CHARACTERIZED because in zone (B), the gas is air or nitrogen. 26.- The process for operating the reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claim 18, CHARACTERIZED in that in zone (B), the gas is injected using a distribution manifold (E). 27.- The process for operating the reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claim 18, CHARACTERIZED because in zone (B), the surfactants are aliphatic alcohols and polyglycols. 28.- The process for operating the reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claim 18, CHARACTERIZED because in zone (B) when porous bodies are used, the gas injection must be proportional to these. 29.- The process for operating the reactor for the conditioning of reagents used in the flotation of metallic and non-metallic mining resources according to claim 18, CHARACTERIZED in that in zone (B), the air flow controllers allow variable injection capacities to the manifold and make mixed feed connections to the flotation cell (G).