Application of Kerosene/ crude palm oil and their mixtures as collectors for flotation of oxidized coal fines and their performance analysis

With the deterioration of the high-grade coal seams and the inadequate adsorptions noticed with the oily collectors, along with the cost escalations in petroleum-based products, there is a potential for alternative collectors. For this cause, bio-based green flotation reagents and their conjugations are gaining more concern on account of their reduced cost and sustainability. In this paper performance efficiency of oily collectors, Vegetable oil (Crude Palm Oil), and their combinations are compared for high-ash oxidized Indian coal considering their fatty acid adequacies and availability in the local markets. The adsorption mechanisms of both single and mixed collectors on coal surfaces were conducted with the aid of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and contact angle measurements. Different surface characterization results divulged that the arrangement of more oxygenated functional groups in the POC and KP could ameliorate flotation efficiency through dipole attraction or hydrogen bonding, in addition to the Van der Waals forces. A maximum yield of 72.84% could be obtained with KP collectors with reduction ash of up to 20.44% (from feed ash of 35.63%). The present biodegradable collector and the mixtures lay an essential pathway for the effective separation of oxidized medium volatile coking coals.