Polymer flocculation and

coagulation for sedimentation of

copper flotation tailings
F.F. Peng and Z. Lu

Abstract tages of these feeding and tlocculating methods of high-

Ernployir~~y u r~otnhir~utiorr o f ' t ~ . otypes ~ f ' ~ ~ o l y ~ l c c ~ t t . o I capacity
~tc~ thickening are:
mighr h~c,omencc,rssal-y to c.nha~lc,eboth the sc>ttli/~,y rute of'
thrJoc,s und the M.ate/.c.lal.ity of ati'ne-pa/.tic,le srr.s/,rr~sio/lin the polynler is effectively dispersed in the feed, and the
u high-c.upc~c.itjthic,rE-~nill!:pl.oc.~.v.s.The S C ~ I I ~ I I I ~(f'uddi- YJ feed contacts the polymer fully, thus. the flocculation
t i o t ~ttlixirrg.
. type and do.s~ge (?tpolynze~. u l l afilc.t t11i~ O\Y~I.(I// is sufficient;
/ w ~ j o ~ . t ~ ~ und
a / ~ cc.a/,uc,ity
.e of a thie,ket~inxp/.oc.e.s.s. F o l t h ~ the flocculated feed is injected into the thick sediment
sedinlelztutiot~(f copper flotution tuili17,ys. the c.y/inde/ test layer, and dilution of the feed in clear water or very thin
/.r.sults shonzed [hut In'o diflerent tec.hniyrrp.r nray he used to slurry in the free-settling zone can be avoided: and
ac.hin-cj the rpclirit-etil~~~rf'orrnanc~~~, i.c.. u high .sc~ttli~r,g t.ut(l of' floc damage by the shear present in the feed well is
the ,floc,.s und the de~isiredu ~ d e t l f ' l od~~' n . s i t utrd j o\-erflo~. avoided, so that degradation of the floc size and lower-
M.U~PI. c~lat~ity.The t~ec/rrircclp~t:forrt~unc~c~ c.ut~ uc~/iei~,cel by ing of the settling rate is avoided.
~ i t l r e rudjrrsting the p H prior to anionic. polyelec.tt.o(vtp
flocc~ulutiot~ or using a c,otnhi~~atior~ cfpoiyrner jIoc.c.rrl(r~~t Different from a conventional thickener, the capacity of a
cii7d c.oaglrlut~t( d u u l - p o l y m ~sysr~nt).
r The clytrumic. t h i c i r n - high-capacity thickener is dependent on the settling rate of
in? tclst /.e.sults showsed that only the u ~ ~ l ~ r o arrsit~g c , k u dual- the flocs and independent on the nonaggregated particles.
/ x ) b n ~ e .sxstern
r is c~apuhleof meeting the t.eq14ir.edpc,t:fot.- Therefore, the procedure of polymer application to the thick-
mut~c.e.The elfects ufpolyelet~troIytt~ closugc, the .seclrienc.e ener is very important for high-capacity thickeners to achieve
at7d ~nrmhet-sc?fpo/yelectrolyte adclitiot~,t h c ~ , f i . corrccJntt.u- ~d their expected performance.
t i o t ~ the
, bed I e ~ ~and c l the. t.ake spcecl 017 tlrc. .s~ttlirlgrate. For some pulps, employing the combination of two poly-
rrr~det:flow~ po.c,cJrrt.solids und M3uterc.lurity M~PI.C .st~rdic'(lit7 mers might become necessary to enhance the settling rate and
c.ylinclet. tp.st.s and in u 1uhoratot-y ilyr~umicthic.rE-etrirrgrrnit. to reduce water turbidity in the high-capacity thickening
Tlrp c(ynumic test is e . ~ p ~ ( . i u Ivulrruble Iy in e~wlrrutit~g thc process. The use of a combination of two oppositely charged
uclditiot~N M n ~r i x i t ~(fpolymers. Thc 1-csrrltsMxerpc~.uluuted polymers proved to give higher retention and drainage than
q ~ r o r ~ t i t u t i \usit~g
~ r l ~ total ~14sperld~d ~oli~1.s it1 ~ u p e t . t ~ u t a t ~ t . a single-polymer system in paper pulp dewatering (Petaja.
uncle/;flo~- dc,lrsity and cupuc.ity 17or unif (f.settlit~,sUI.PUpet. 1980).The dual-polymer system gave extraordinarily strong
u t ~ i of
t timc. The objective of this study M'US to q u u n t ~ j and j~ tlocs compared to the single polymer used in paper pulp. The
p.y/~Iuin.some qfthepat.am~t~r.s in\,ol\jed in the sc~dinrentutiot~ effect of a dual-polymer system on the pretreatment of peat
of c~opperfloturior~t~i1in~q.s. for dewatering was studied by Ringqvist and Igsell ( 1994). 11
was shown that flocculationeffectiveness depended upon the
Introduction negatively charged fine-particle fraction in the peat. The
As a solids/liquid separation unit operation. a conven- dual-polymer system, (anionic followed by cationic poly-
tional thickener requires a large diameter due to the low mer) improved the dewatering characteristics. Both investi-
treatment capacity. Therefore, a high-capacity thickener was gators found that the sequence of polymer addition was
developed to enhance the treatment capacity. The successful important. Two different responses in polymers addition
operation of a high-capacity thickener for tailings treatment sequence for two coal tailings samples using a dual-polymer
relies upon the use of polymers and bottom feeding. Organic system were reported. Foshee et al. (1982) found that prefloc
polymer is commonly used to form large flocs and develop a treatment by anionic polytner prior to the addition of cationic
sludge blanket that is continuously formed and that is above polymer was more efficient than a pure coagulation approach
the feed outlet. Large flocs have a higher settling rate than an to obtain a high-quality overflow for thickening a given coal
individual particle, while the sludge blanket may enmesh and refuse. Ghalambor et al. ( 1990) reported that the best result
trap nonaggregating particles to prevent them from moving was achieved when the cationic polymer pump was set ahead
up with upward flow and entering the overflow. The advan- of the anionic polymer pump in the feed line. i.e., the cationic

aMining Engineering, College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV.
Preprint 97-177, presented at the SME Annual Meeting, Feb. 24-27, 1997, Denver, CO. Discussion of this peer-
reviewed and approved paper is invited and must be submitted to SME prior to may 31, 1998.

14 FEBRUARY 1998 MINERALS AND METALLURGICAL PROCESSING

polymer was added prior to the anionic poly-
able 1 - Size distribution for
mer. These investigators explained that cat-
copper flotation
ionic polymer was responsible for neutral-
ization of the surface charges of the clay Size, pm
particles, and. subsequently, the tlocs were
formed with anionic polymer by bridging 600
mechanism. In fact, the effectiveness of floc- 425
culation for different pulps depends strongly
300
upon the type, dosage, sequence of addition
212
and mixing level of the polymer and depends
150
on the slurry characteristics.
106
The operation conditions, such as feed
solidconcentration, bed level and rake speed, 75
also affect flocculation and thus the overall 53
perfolmance of the high-capacity thickener. 38
Because the settling behavior of particles in -38
a high-capacity thickener is much different
from (hatinaconventional thickener, the use
of the laboratory cylinder test and conventional theoretical
calculation is insufficient to determine the capacity and
operation parameters for a high-capacity thickener. A con-
tinuous thickening test (a dynamic test) similar to the actual
thickener operation is especially valuable to evaluate the
tlocculation/clarificationand to determine thickener operat-
ing conditions. The objective of this study was toevaluate the
effect of a dual polymer system on the sedimentation of
copper flotation tailings under various operating conditions
using both batch and continuous dynamic tests. Total sus-
pended solids in supernatant, underflow density and capacity
per unit of settling area per unit of time are used to measure
the effectiveness of flocculation and coagulation.
Materials and methods
The pulp used in this study was a copper flotation tailing.
The size consistence of the pulp is 9 1.5% passing 2 12 pn, as
shown in Table 1. The polymer screening test was accom-
plished by using various polymer concentrations and pH
levels in a series of test tubes each containing 50 mL of pulp.
Sixteen different polymers were used and screened in four
groups. The four most effective polymers of the four groups
were furthertested tocompare theireffectiveness. Percol727
(P727) was selected as the best set-
tling aid because it produced the
largest flocs, which led to the fastest
settling rate, at pH 8.8. This organic
polymer, a low charge density and
high molecular weight copolymer
of sodium acrylate and acrylamide,
is a medium anionic polymer and
has a molecular weight 1.5 to 2.0 x
10'. The screening test results re-
vealed that the use of P727 alone
was riot effective for improving su-
pernotant clarity at a polymer dos-
age as high as 46 g/t. When the pulp
pH was raised to 10.5 with pow-
deretl lime. the supernatant clarity
was significantly improved while
the settling rate remained the same.
A similar result was obtained
when the pH was adjusted to 4.5
with sulfuric acid solution. A con-
tinuous thickening test (dynamic
test) was conducted usin% P7?7 at &.,"re 1 - ~~b continuous
pH 10.5. However, pH ad,~ustment
MINERALS AND METALLURGICAL PROCESSING
did not seem effective, and the total sus-
pended solids (TSS) in the overflow was
- tailings.
much higher than the required value (less
% Passing than 50 mg/L). A similar screening test was
thus performed and the second polymer,
100.0 Percol 368 (P368), was selected to improve
99.9
overflow clarity. P368, an organic cationic
polyelectrolyte, is a cationic polymer, and it
98.5
has a molecular weight of 0.5 to 1.0 x lo6.
91.5
Both organic polymers are provided by Al-
80.2 lied Colloid (Suffolk, VA).
67.8 Preliminary batch tests to determine the
57.4 optimum polymer dosages for the dual-poly-
46.3 mer system were conducted using 50-mL
36.7 portions of pulp in a series of test tubes. The
0.0 test tubes were inverted three times for mix-
ing aftereach polymer addition. Various com-
binations of polymers P727 and P368 in
various dosages at pH 8.8 were also tested. Test results, both
floc sizes and supernatant clarity, were qualitatively mea-
sured and compared.
Settling tests were conducted using 1,000-mL graduated
cylinders. A pulp density of 23.45% and a pH 8.8 were
maintained for all the tests. The polymer dosages of 10.65 g/t
P727 and 13 g/t P368 were used in these tests based on the
results obtained from the preliminary batch test. Eight differ-
ent combinations of polymer additions were tested, including
changing the sequence and the number of times that the
polymers were added. Four additional tests were carried out
to study the different effects of pure-polymer and dual-
polymer processes on the settling rate and supernatant clar-
ity. The polymers and pulp were stirred three times at each
polymer addition using a plunge-type mixing rod. Settling
rates were recorded and supernatant samples were taken for
TSS determination.
Dynamic tests were conducted in a laboratory continuous-
thickening system (a laboratory clarifier/thickener manufac-
tured by Enviro-Clear). This system, shown in Fig. I , consists
of a 3-112-in.- (89-mm-) ID and 20-in.- (508-mm-) high
cylinder, equipped with feed, polymer and undertlow pumps
and equipped with a bed-level sensor and controller. In the
system, rake speed, the gap be-
tween the deflector plate and feed
pipe, and pump speeds can be regu-
ow lated to alter the operating condi-
tions. The bed-level sensor trans-
mits the signal to the controller,
which automatically controls the
operation of undertlow pump in
vel order to maintain a suitable bed
level. Bed level can also be oper-
ated manually by adjusting the
ller speed of the undertlow pump.
Samples of the underflow and over-
flow were taken every 15 min after
the system reached a steady state,
except where noted. Overflow
quality was determined by a Clar-
ity Wedge and calibrated to TSS.
The feed solid concentrations used
were 14.6% and 28.2% at pH 8.8
using a dual-polymer system, ex-
cept where noted. Feed rates were
thickening System, varied from 440 to 1 .I 50 mL/min
(1.45 to 2.04 t/h/m2) to determine
FEBRUARY 1998 15
 parlicles bolh untrealcd and (realed
with anionic polymer. while lhc ad-
dition of cationic polymer effcc-
tively neutralized particles chargc
as shown in Fig. 2(b). Table 2 and
Fig. 3 (Runs 9 and 1 1 ) show that thc
use of a pure anionic polymer at the
dosage of 10.65 and 23.65 g/t re-
Untreated
L)
supernatant TSS=265 mg/L duces the TSS of supernatant from
Flocculant concentration
A Treated with =0.025%
906 to 598 mg/L. while 13.0 and
anionic flocculant 23.65 g/t of pure cationic polymer.
pH=8.8
as shown in Runs LO and 12. rc-
5 duces the TSS of the supernatant to
pH Cationic flocculant dosage, rnUL 400 and 340 mg/L, respectively. I t
is apparent that cationic polymer is
Figure 2 - Zeta potential of minus 45-pm particles in the supernatant of copper more effective in flocculating
tailings: (a) untreated or treated with anionic or cationic polymer; (b) a s a function
of the cationic polymer dosage. ultrafine particles to improve su-
pernatant quality. These results also
jndicate that t h e i ' ~in~the superna-
the maximum thickener capacity at the required overflow tant may be decreased by increasing in the polymer dosage.
quality and underflow density. Polymer dosages were varied The data for the effect of polymers addition sequence on
from 7.6 to 10.6 g/t anionic polymer (P727) using 0.01 25% the water clarity for a dual-polymer system are also included
solution and up to 15 g/t cationic polymer (P368) using in Table 2. The marked improvement in supernatant quality
0.01254 and 0.00625% solution, respectively. Rake speeds is obtained when, first, the anionic polymer and. then, the
were regulated from 4.1 to 16.0 rpm. cationic polymer are added. as exhibited in Runs I . 2. 3 and
X (the TSS of supernatant are less than 50 and 75 mg/L.
Results and discussion respectively). For the copper flotation tailings investigated.
Effects of polymer addition sequences and numbers on the anionic polymer is possibly first adsorbed on the large
supernatant clarity. Cylinder tests show that sediment of particles (>45 p)to form large flocs by bridging mecha-
pulp treated with anionic polymer consists of large flocs and nism. the cationic polymer is then added to coagulate the
ultrafine particles. These ultrafine particles (<45 pn)are not negative charged ultrafine particles to form the coagulas. The
flocculated; thus they settle very slowly and gather on the multiple numbers of polymer addition also gives marked
surface of the sediment of large flocs after a long settling time reduction of solids in the supernatant than the single number
(about 24 hrs). Applying a single anionic polymer produces of polymer addition as shown in the results of Runs 3 and 8.
the large size flocs with high solid suspension. On the other Using multiple numbers of polymer addition, the polymer is
hand: the use ot'a single cationic polymer results in small size well mixed with pulp, resulting in highly efficient floccula-
flocs and a relatively small quantity of ultrafine particles tion and coagulation, and less polymer dosage requirements.
accumulating on the surface of the sediment after a long
settling time. The Zeta potential of the minus 4 5 - p particles Effect of polymer addition sequences and numbers on
in the supernatant was measured by a Zeta-Meter. The settling rate. The floc size for copper tailings depends
results, as shown in Fig. 2(a). indicate that these ultrafine primarily upon the anionic polymer. The settling rate of flocs
particles had negative charges ranging from pH 2 to I I for increases approximately linearly with increasing floc size

Table 2 - Effect of polymer addition sequences and numbers (1 0.65 glt for P727 and 13.0 g/t for P368 at pH 8.8 and
23.45% solid concentration).

Run 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Firstpolyrner P727 P727 P727 P368 P368 P368 P368 P727 P727 P368 P727 P368
added (2) (1 (2) (1 (1) (2) (2) (1) (2) (2) (1) (1)

Second polymer P368 P368 P368 P727 P727 P727 P727 P368 P727 P368
added (1 (2) (2) (2) (1) (1 (2) (1 ) (1 (1)

Settling time (rnin) Interface Height (rnrn)

0 356 356 356 356 356 356 356 356 356 356 356 356
5 235 240 288 226 197 188 194 239 306 345 178 334
10 173 175 216 161 171 166 157 170 259 329 153 302
20 149 154 167 142 153 147 137 149 185 295 139 239
30 141 144 153 132 142 138 131 139 167 268 132 196
40 135 139 145 127 135 132 127 134 156 236 128 183
50 132 135 141 124 132 128 124 131 151 212 125 175
60 129 133 137 123 129 125 123 128 148 193 124 170

Initial settling rate 24.2 23.2 14.0 26.0 31.8 33.6 32.4 23.4 10.0 2.7 35.6 5.3
(rnrnlrnin)
TSS in overflow 70 <50 <50 160 184 150 90 75 996 400 598 340
(mg/L)

16 FEBRUARY 1998 MINERALS AND METALLURGICAL PROCESSING

(Farrow and Swift, 1991). Hence, settling rate is more sensi-
tive to the anionic polymer dosage. Comparing the results of
Runs 9 and 12, it is observed that utilizing 10.65 g/t anionic
polymer produces a higher sludge settling rate than utilizing
26 g/t cationic polymer.
Settling rate increases as the anionic polymer dosage is
increased from 10.65 g/t (Run 9) to 23.65 g/t (Run NO. 11)
and as the cationic polymer dosage increased from 13 g/t
(Run 10) to 26 g/t (Run 12). The effect of polymer addition
sequence on settling rate is also significant. The settling rate
is higher when anionic polymer is added after the addition of
cationic polymer (Runs 3,5,7 and 8). The acceptable settling
rate and supernatant clarity are achieved when the anionic
polymer is added prior to the cationic polymer, as shown in
Runs 1 , 2 , 3 and 8. The addition numbers of both anionic and
cationic polymers affect settling rate. Using multiple num-
bers of polymer addition, the settling rate is always obviously Test No.
higherthan the single addition for apurepolymer system. For
a dual-polymer system, when an anionic polymer is added Figure 3 - Total suspended solid of supernatant for
twice prior to a cationic polymer addition, a single addition various polymer addition sequences and numbers.
of cationic polymer results in a higher settling rate than
multiple additions. This is because large flocs formed by that the optimum pulp density for thickening the copper
anionic polymer are sensitive to shear and easy to break up tailings is about 16% (Run 9, Table 3). The settling rate is
(Emmett and Klepper, 1980), and single addition of cationic related to both local concentration and initial concentration
polymer prevents flocs from breaking up and leads to a of pulp (Fitch, 1993). To maintain 45% to 65% of sediment
slightly higher settling rate. density for thickening the copper tailings, the initial pulp
When anionic polymer is added once, the numbers of concentrations should be kept in the rangeof 13.8% to 16.6%.
cationic polymer does not significantly affect the flocs size.
The mixing of cationic polymer and pulp promotes the Dynamic Tests
mixing of anionic polymer and pulp, but it may break up the Effect of polymer on overflow clarity. Dynamic test
flocs formed by anionic polymer. If cationic polymer is results are presented in Table 4. In the dynamic test, when a
added prior to anionic polymer addition, the multiple addi- pure anionic polymer (P727) was used in Runs l , 2 and 3 at
tion of both anionic and cationic polymers enhance the pH 10.5, the interface did not appear at a polymer dosage as
settling rate (Runs 4 to 7, Table 2). high as 20 g/t, and 2,300 mg/L TSS is reported in the
overflow. Although two-point (two-pump) polymer addition
Effect of pulp initial concentration is used to improve the mixing of feed and polymer, this value
Batch tests for settling rate are also conducted to evaluate is much higher than the TSS measured in the supernatant (996
the effect of pulp density varied from 7.65% to 34.0%. mg/L) of the batch test using 10.65 g/t of anionic polymer.
Average sediment densities are given in Table 3. Sediment For a dual-polymer system, if anionic polymer is insufficient
height and average sediment densities as functions of settling (less than 11 g/t), a very high TSS in the ovefflow is also
time for four initial pulp densities are illustrated in Figs. 4(a) observed. When the anionic polymer dosage is 12.1 to 16 g/t,
and (b). For 50% of sediment density requirement, it is clear the TSS in the overflow decays exponentially with the in-

Table 3 - Average sediment concentrations in batch settling test using various pulp initial
(0.025% solution) and DH 8.8.

Settling time
(rnin)

Test Test pulp and sediment concentration, % solids (by weight)

1 23.2 28.7 31.9 34.0 - - -
2 32.0 36.9 39.9 41.6 42.3 43.3 44.0
3 32.6 39.1 41.8 43.0 44.4 45.4 46.0
4 32.3 38.6 41.3 43.9 45.2 - -
5 30.2 35.9 38.8 41.0 42.3 43.7 44.1
6 27.8 34.5 38.2 40.6 42.3 43.4 44.4
7 38.0 43.8 46.4 47.9 49.1 49.6 50.4
8 43.9 48.8 51.0 51.5 52.6 53.0 53.1
9 52.3 55.7 57.0 57.2 57.5 - -
10 32.7 40.6 43.9 44.6 47.0 48.1 49.1
11 21.1 23.6 - - - 34.9 -
12 25.3 30.6 35.5 38.3 - - -
13 25.7 30.3 30.8 - - - -

MINERALS AND METALLURGICAL PROCESSING FEBRUARY 1998 17

 Anionic polymer
dosage=17 glt.

Pulp density: A 19.2%

16.6%
Anionic polymer
dosage=17 glton
, - -

Pulp density: A 19.2%

16.6%
0 13.8%

Settling time, min Settling time, min

Figure 4- (a) Interface height as a function of settling time at various initial pulp densities; (b) sediment density as a function
of settling time at various initial pulp densities.

crease in cationic polymer (P368) dosage, as shown in Fig. 5.
When the cationic polymer dosage is increased to 3.3 g/t, the
TSS in the overflow sharply decreases to 160 mg/L. A very
sharp interface occurs at the cationic polymer dosage of 7.7
g/t and less than 80 mg/L TSS is reported in the overflow.
With a further increasie in cationic polymer dosage, the TSS
in the overflow reaches less than 50 m g L . Two important
differences between the batch and the dynamic tests are
observed. One is that overflow in the dynamic test is more
turbid than the supernatant of the batch test when the cationic
polymer is absent or at a low dosage (less than 1.5 g/t) for a
given anionic polymer dosage. In other words, the higher
anionic polymer dosage is required in the dynamic test than
in the batch test for the same water clarity. The other is that,
when the compact sludge blanket is formed, the required
cationic polymer dosage to achieve the same water quality is
much less for the dynamic test than for the batch test. Once
the compact sludge blanket is formed, the very clear overflow
can be maintained with very low dosage of cationic polymer,
e.g., 3.8 g/t for about 30 min, as long as the compact blanket
is maintained.
When a pure anionic polymer is used, the sludge blanket
is formed by large and loose flocs. The fine particles that are
not flocculated move up with the upward flow through the
sludge blanket and enter the overflow. When a dual-polymer
system is used, cationic polymer coagulates the fine particles
to coagula, which is enmeshed and trapped into the loose
blanket to form a compact sludge blanket. Consequently, a
sharp interface is formed and a very clear overflow is ob-
tained. Because the sludge blanket in the dynamic thickener
operation is forming and settling continuously, if the com-
pact blanket settles below the feed injection position, due to

Table 4 - Dynamic thickening test results for copper tailings using first anionic polymer P727 and then cationic polymer
P368 addition at pH 8.8.

Feed dosage
Polymer Underflow TSS in Rake Bed level
Run density, flow rate, Solids rate, P727, P368, density, overflow, speed, height,
NO. YO m3/h/m2 t/h/m2 g/t g/t % mg/L rPm mm

1 28.2 4.80 1.64 17.4 - 63.2 2000 4.1 450

2 28.2 4.25 1.45 15.4 - 62.0 2300 4.1 450
3 28.2 4.25 1.45 19.6 - 65.2 1600 4.1 450
4 28.2 4.25 1.45 12.4 15.4 60.7 <50 4.1 400
5 28.2 4.25 1.45 12.4 8.0 59.6 <50 4.1 400
6 28.2 4.25 1.45 12.1 3.8 55.0 130 4.1 400
7 28.2 5.65 1.93 14.3 3.3 63.0 160 4.1 400
8 28.2 5.65 1.93 7.6 3.3 33.0 160 4.1 400
9 16.4 8.99 1.64 13.5 5.1 60.0 100 6.5 400
10 16.4 9.35 1.71 10.4 8.2 61.1 <50 7.75 400
11 16.4 9.35 1.71 10.4 8.2 60.6 <50 8.5 400
12 16.4 9.35 1.71 10.4 8.2 59.6 <50 10.0 400
13 16.4 11.18 2.04 10.2 7.7 49.0 155 12.0 300
14 16.4 11.18 2.04 14.9 7.7 61.5 50 12.0 400
15 16.4 11.18 2.04 14.9 7.7 60.7 50 12.0 400
16 16.4 11.18 2.04 14.9 7.7 64.5 50 12.0 450
17 16.4 11.18 2.04 12.2 7.7 50.2 80 12.0 350
18 16.4 11.18 2.04 13.2 7.7 52.6 50 16.0 350
19 16.4 11.18 2.04 13.2 7.7 60.0 50 16.0 400
Notes:
(a) Runs 1, 2 and 3 were tested at pH 10.5 using two points (two pumps) with the same polymer addition.
(b) The Run 16 sample was taken 25 min after steady state was reached.

18 FEBRUARY 1998 MINERALS AND METALLURGICAL PROCESSING

 i
~ 1 )
E l o 3
Feed pulp density=16.4-28.2%
Feed rate=4.25-11.18 m3/m2/h
Solids rate=1.45-2.04 ton/m2/h
K ~H=8.8
Cationic polymer d o s a g e , glt
Figure 5 - Effect of cationic polymer dosage on total
sus~endedsolid in the overflow.
a lack of cationic polymer to form the coagula, the newly
formed blanket is in a loose state, and the overflow turns
turbid. In a dynamic test, it is found that the consumption of
the cationic polymer is about half of the dosage used in the
batch test, the anionic polymer is about 110% of the dosage
used in batch test. This results indicate that the overall
consumption of polymers in the dynamic test is less than that
in the batch test.
Effect of polymer addition on underflow density. As
shown in Fig. 6, under various operating conditions (see
Table 4), the underflow density increases exponentially and
reaches an plateau, and it remains relatively constant when
P727 dosage is increased to 15 g/t solids. When the polymer
is increased 60% (from 12.4 to 19.6 g/t), a 5% increase in the
underflow density is observed (from 60% to 65%). A further
increase in the underflow density will primarily depend upon
the increase in the retention time and the depth of compres-
sion zone (Runs 3 and 16). Although underflow density
increases exponentially with the increase in the anionic
polymer dosage, the requirement of excessively high under-
flow density is obviously not economical.
Thickening capacity is expressed in terms of feed rate, as
shown in Table 4. To obtain a 60% underflow solid density
and less than 50 mg/L TSS in the overflow, the minimum
polymer dosages of 7.7 g/t cationic polymer (Fig. 5) and 13
g/t anionic polymer (Fig. 6) are required for the feed rate at
2.04 t/h/m2 (Run 19). Once the compact sludge blanket is
formed and the required overflow clarity is reached with
adequate addition sequences of dual polymers, the overflow
quality is no longer the limiting factor for the thickener
capacity.
In this case, an increase in cationic polymer dosage has
little effect on the thickener capacity, while anionic polymer
dosage should be increased as the feed rate increases. Be-
cause the high feed rate also means a high upward flow
velocity, a higher settling rate of flocs is required. It is worth
noting that the prerequisite with optimal dosage of polymer
molecule adsorbing on the particles and successfully forming
the flocs is necessary to ensure the vacant sites existing on the
particle surface and molecule stretching sufficiently. Exces-
sive polymer addition easily results in lacking of vacant sites
on particle surfaces and molecule curving (Attia, 1992; Peng
and Di, 1994).
MINERALS AND METALLURGICAL PROCESSING
65L
60 a ! ! I
Dynamic test:
pulp density=16.4-28.2%
rate= 4.25-1 1.18 m3/m2/h
Solids rate=1.45-2.04 ton/m2/h
Anionic polymer dosage, glt
Figure 6 - Effect of anionic polymer dosage on the
underflow density of copper tailings.
Effect of feed concentration. Two feed concentrations
are used in the dynamic test, including 28.2% and 16.4%.
Dynamic test results show that the thickener capacity is
higher by using 16.4% than 28.2% solid feed concentration
with adequate amounts and addition sequences of dual poly-
mers (see Table 4). The high feed rate with lower slurry solid
concentration leads to a higher volume of upward water
flowing in the thickener. The dilution of the high solid feed
slurry may be accomplished by recirculating the overflow to
the feed stream.
Effect of rake speed. Raking has two main functions, one
is to collect the sediment to the discharge opening; the other
is to compress sediment and to increase underflow density.
This explains the reason that the underflow density is easier
to reach, as high as 60%, in the dynamic tests than in the
cylinder tests. The test results show that rake speed has no
effect on the underflow density or overflow clarity at the
range of 7.0 to 16.0 rpm for the continuous lab clarifier/
thickener.
Effect of bed level. When a sludge blanket is located
under the feed inlet, no sludge/supernatant interface is ob-
served, and high TSS is reported in the overflow. Initially,
when the sludge blanket rises over the feed-deflector plate, a
sludge/supernatant interface starts to appear but it is not sharp
enough, thus, the overflow appears cloudy. As the sludge
blanket rises higher, the interface becomes sharper and the
clarity of the overflow is also improved. When the sludge
blanket reaches a certain height, the sharp interface occurs
and the low TSS in the overflow is obtained. The prerequisite
for successfully operating a high-capacity thickener is to
establish a sharp sludge/supernatant interface (as long as the
interface is above the lowest allowable position away from
feed injection point), the interface level has no negative effect
on the overflow clarity, even it is as close as the overflow
level. As shown in Fig. 7, the high interface level favors the
high underflow density due to increase the height of the
compression zone. This results in increasing the weight of the
sludge per unit area of thickener (Shannon and Tory, 1966).
Effect of air bubble. In the dynamic-thickening system,
the pulp is prepared and agitated in a drum. The feed may
contain some air bubbles that are generated by the agitation.
FEBRUARY 1998 19

Feed pulp density=16.4, 28.2%
- Feed rate= 4.25-1 1.18 m31m21h
Solids rate=1.45-2.04 tlm21h
Bed level, mm
Figure 7 - Underflow density a s a function of bed level.
These air bubbles, after entering the thickener, float upward
and break up the sludge blanket. The bubbles may also
entrain some fine particles to the clear water zone and
increase overflow turbidity. In addition, flocs attached to air
bubbles have a lower settling rate. To achieve high capacity
of the thickener, it becomes necessary to deaerate the feed
using a tank with baffles before it enters the thickener.
Conclusions
The application of a pure anionic polymer leads to the
formation of large flocs, and a pure cationic polymer gener-
ates the small flocs for copper flotation tailings. Settling rate
depends mainly upon the floc formation by utilizing anionic
polymer. Water clarity cannot be improved by using either
pure anionic or cationic polymer in a continuous-thickening
unit. The best thickening and clarification performances are
achieved when the dual-polymer system is used. The anionic
polymer is used to flocculate the large particles and the
cationic polymer is subsequently added to coagulate the
negatively charged ultrafine particles (<45 pn).The over-
flow water quality primarily depends upon the cationic poly-
mer addition.
The prerequisite of high-capacity thickening and clarifi-
cation is a compact sludge blanket formation above the feed
inlet. Such a compact sludge blanket can be developed by the
application of a dual-polymer system, i.e., by the addition of
the anionic polymer prior to the cationic polymer for the
copper flotation tailings. The optimum dosage is 12 to 15 g/t
anionic polymer and 7.7 to 8.5 g/t cationic polymer for 16.4%
to 28.2% of feed solid concentrations, respectively. The
setting rate and overflow clarity are also affected by the
sequences and numbers of polyelectrolyte polymer addi-
tions. Especially in a continuous thickening system, the pipe
and in-line mixer with multiple polymer addition points may
be implemented for higher thickening and clarification effi-
ciency.
20 FEBRUARY 1998
Feed solid concentration affects thickener capacity. For
copper flotation tailings, the optimum feed solid concentra-
tion is about 16% at 9 to 11 m"/m2 for 60% underflow
density and less than 50 mg/L of the TSS in the overflow. A
high-capacity thickener needs a high discharge rate. High
rake speed can prevent the rake from stoppage and has no
negative effect on either the overflow clarity or the underflow
density. Once acompact sludge blanket is formed and reaches
a certain thickness above the feed inlet, the interface level and
feed injection point are no longer the significant operating
parameters. Air bubbles in the tailings slurry have detrimen-
tal effects, including lowering the floc settling rate and
overflow clarity. Feed slurry must be dearated prior to enter-
ing the thickening unit.
Acknowledgment
The flocculants and the laboratory dynamic test unit were
provided by Allied Colloid and Enviro-Clear Co., respec-
tively.
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MINERALS AND METALLURGICAL PROCESSING