Kinetic Approach for Beryllium-Iron Decontamination Ion Flotation Process

The research aims to study the amenability of removal of iron ions from the leaching liquor solution produced from acid leaching of beryl ore concentrate from the area of Umm Sleimat in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. Ion flotation is unique technique for removal of heavy metal from wastewater. It could be applied to remove iron from liquor solution produced from acid leaching process of beryl ore concentrate. A series of chelation-flotation experiments for removal of iron were carried out using 1-10 phenanthroline as chelating agent and iron sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) as flotation collector to find out the effect of pH, amount of chelating agent and rate of gas flow. Applying the chelating flotation optimum condition (at pH 7 for 15 min. flotation time with 0.3 ml/min. 1% SLS solution flow rate and 150 ml/min. nitrogen gas flow rate after 4 ml 1,10-phenanthrolin addition) on Umm Sleimat Beryl liquor solution showed that the removal of iron was more than 98% with only 1% beryllium removal in float fraction. The paper presents a review of kinetic studies on ion flotation methods with first-, second models, to calculate values of flotation rate constants (k), order of flotation (n) and determination coefficients (R). Data treatment according to the graphical method of kinetic analysis indicated a much better fit to second order kinetics for iron with correlation coefficients higher than 0.998 compared to first order kinetics with correlation coefficients of less than 0.945. As may be noted, the same data in second order result in a very good linearity as compared with the results of the first order kinetics. Variation and implication of ion flotation rate constant are discussed with respect to chemical conditions and amount of chelating agent sufficient for iron present. The obtained kinetics parameter will be further included in mass balance equation for up scaling processes.