Evaluación de la capacidad espumante del aceite esencial de eucalipto en el proceso de flotación de minerales auríferos.

Abstract

This research evaluates the foaming capacity of eucalyptus essential oil in the flotation process of gold minerals, comparing it with a conventional frother commonly used in this process. The objective of this study is to analyze the efficiency of eucalyptus oil in the recovery of gold, determining its impact on the grade of the gold concentrate. To do this, tests were carried out in a Denver flotation cell, using different volumes of frother (0.05 ml, 0.10 ml, 0.15 ml, 0.25 ml and 0.35 ml). The gold grade in the concentrate and in the tailings was measured, evaluating the recovery in each test. The results obtained were treated in a two-factor ANOVA, starting from the type and volume of frother as independent variables. The results showed that the eucalyptus essential oil-based frother showed a higher gold recovery compared to the conventional Aerofrother-70 frother, highlighting more optimal values with a volume of 0.15 ml, where the analysis results reflected a higher concentration of gold in the concentrate. In addition, it was observed based on graphs that an excess of frother decreased the efficiency of the process, affecting gold recovery. Therefore, eucalyptus essential oil is considered a viable and ecological alternative for the flotation process of gold minerals, showing a more beneficial performance compared to commercial frothers. Its application could contribute to more sustainable mining and reduce the environmental impact related to the use of synthetic reagents.