Flotation

Industry-leading flotation for superior recovery and product quality

Froth flotation circuit performance is crucial to the productivity and efficiency of your mineral processing operation. Our full-flowsheet flotation solutions deliver exceptional grade recovery curves and high equipment availability, whatever your application and over a wide range of particle sizes.

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Total lifecycle support of your froth flotation equipment

We offer the complete flotation package, from superior equipment and complete flowsheets to equipment surveys and sample testing. Every project is custom engineered to fit your application, regardless of the size, and supported at all stages from design, installation, and commissioning. Our aftermarket services include OEM-standard spare and wear parts that minimise downtime while optimising operation; global technical support services for maintenance, performance analysis, and optimisation; and accessible upgrade packages that ensure your flotation cell stays at the cutting-edge of performance.

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Frequently asked questions

FAQs for flotation

Froth flotation separates target metals or minerals from waste rock (gangue). Ground ore is delivered in a slurry to the flotation cell. Chemical reagents are added to the slurry to make the target material hydrophobic, and air is injected to create bubbles. The hydrophobic target material attaches to the bubbles and rises to the surface of the flotation cell, forming a froth layer, which is collected and sent for further processing. Gangue sinks to the cell bottom and is discharged as tailings. 

We supply a range of flotation machines, including WEMCO self-aspirated flotation cells, nextSTEP forced-air flotation cells, mixedROW mixed flotation systems, column flotation cells, and our innovative REFLUX flotation technologies. We also supply WEMCO attrition scrubbers. 

The main difference between self-aspirated and forced-air flotation cells is in how air is introduced into the slurry. In self-aspirated cells, air is drawn in naturally via the vacuum created by the spinning action of the rotor. In forced-air cells, air is supplied by an external blower and pumped into the cell. Self-aspirated cells are simpler in design and generally more energy efficiency, as they do not require an external air supplier; however, forced-air cells offer tighter control over air flow, which can enhance flotation performance, and higher-volume air injection for large capacity operations.