Historical perspective and bibliometric analysis of molecular modeling applied in mineral flotation systems

The current review is an all-time perspective and bibliometric analysis on international peer-reviewed literature concerning molecular modeling as a tool for studies of mineral flotation systems. There has been an exponential growth in the number of publications, starting from 2010 and China shows itself as the main source of studies in the area. The most studied minerals were those related to iron and aluminum, a result closely related to the global mineral economy. The majority of studies focus on the evaluation or development of flotation collectors. Also, although much has been achieved, advances in methodology and computational methods are still necessary.