Moscow State Mining University, Moscow, Russia

A. A. Abramov, Professor, e-mail: AbramovAA31@mail.ru

In this part of the article theoretical bases of the contemporary flotation extremely necessary for creation of innovative flotation technologies and increase in efficiency of technological processes and complexity use of mineral raw material are considered. It is shown, that conditions for formation on a minerals surface of valence-saturated bonds of the collector with a mineral cation required by Taggart’s “chemical theory”, formation of chemisorption coverings of the collector by Shwedov’s hypothesis, physical sorption of ions, molecules or their complexes by other hypotheses cannot be used as the criterion for innovative flotation technologies and do not allow to solve the problem discussed. On the basis of the modern flotation theory requirements to the structure of the collector sorption layer the new flotation hypothesis is offered for this purpose. By this hypothesis the effective flotation of a mineral occurs if only as the chemically fixed and physically sorbed collector are present on its surface. In this case as the thermodynamic probability of a mineral particle fastening on an air bubble and opportunity of the effective break of the hydrate layer between them as well as repeated hardening of the air bubble — particle contact in turbulent conditions of flotation are provided. Absence of any of forms of collector sorption on the surface of the mineral not possessing natural hydrophobicity leads to its depression. Requirements of the new flotation hypothesis to the structure of the sorption layer on the surface of minerals to be divided can be realized through calculation of electrochemical parameters values of the mineral surface and ionic composition of the liquid phase of pulp. It permits (as will be shown in the next part of the article) to offer theoretically grounded ways for creation of innovative flotation technologies.

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