Effect of wet ball milling on copper ore flotation by fractal geometry

One of the important parameters in mineral processing is particles morphology, which is a function of the comminution mechanism. Particles morphology has considerable impacts in flotation process. Variations in particles morphology have been studied by different methods, including fractal geometry. This study aims to investigate the ball milling effect on particles flotation using fractal dimension, in which the calculations in the particles morphology has been made using the step-length method. The ore sample of under-investigation was a copper ore. The examined parameters include grinding time, ball load, and solid weight percentage. The collected fractal dimensions for particles ranged from 1 to 2, which is according to the principle of fractal geometry. Based on the results, low (30 minute) or high (50 minute) grinding time reduces fractal dimension and recovery because low grinding time is resulted in a coarse grain product while high grinding time is resulted in fine particles with spherical shapes. If balls load is high (8710 gr), predominant comminution force turns to an abrasive force are resulted in fine and spherical particles due to an increase in the accumulation volume. When the ball load decreased (4690 gr), the coarse particles were produced. Fractal dimensions and recovery are decreased in both cases. Low (40%) and high (60%) solid weight percentages are resulted in ineffective comminution, producing a coarse grain product. As a result, fractal dimensions and recovery are decreased. There is a direct correlation between recovery and fractal dimension.