Chapter 3

PHYSICAL AND PHYSICO

CHEMICAL PROCESSES

Physical processes, which usually do not require chemical agents are often sought after
for materials separation. They are based on exploiting the differences in specific physical
properties like specific gravity, magnetic properties, and electrical conductivity. Physico-
chemical processes are based on the surface chemical characteristics of the components
to be separated. Such processes, including froth flotation, ion flotation, precipitate
flotation require the application of surface active agents, but the quantities required for a
process are usually small, often in mg/L range. The success of the physical and physico-
chemical methods is determined by variations in such properties between individual
components to be separated and recovered. This will be discussed in this chapter, with
examples of separation processes.

3.1. Material Preparation for Physical Separation

Separation of chemical species by physical separation has to be often preceded by
material preparation to ensure desired separation by the technique used, hi the physical
techniques of processing the chemical composition of the components is unchanged; no
chemical treatment occurs. The separation is based entirely on using the differences in
physical properties between the chemical components. They include, as will be explained
in the Chapter, specific gravity, magnetic properties, thermal and electrical conductivity
and properties related to surface chemistry of the compounds. (Surface chemical
treatment does not alter the bulk chemical composition of the compound thus treated).

3.1.1. Comminution
A principal requirement for the success of any physical separation process is that the
individual components to be separated should be satisfactorily liberated from each other;
that is, the two should not be bound together in a chunk. For example, in a waste rock,
several minerals are clumped together and before proceeding to separate the desired
components, the rock has to be crushed and ground to the extent, the individual
components are freed or liberated from each other. This is done by crushing in
appropriate crushers and grinding in ball mills. Rod mills are used for fine grinding, but
that is not usually required in waste processing.
Both crushing and grinding lead to size reduction of the material. Comminution is the
general term for size reduction in mineral industry,
Most waste materials originating from metallurgical and mineral processing plants,
like slag, dust and tailings, would have already gone through the process leading to

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