Flotation upgrade for recovering fine and coarse minerals
This technology improves how mining and mineral processing operations separate valuable particles from waste material using a water-and-air flotation process. For very fine particles, it injects clouds of tiny air bubbles (under 500 microns) into a slurry; the target particles stick to these bubbles and float to the surface for collection. For coarse particles, it uses chemical agents to make target material water-repellent, allowing air bubbles to attach and reduce their effective density so they float to the top as a distinct layer. Both approaches aim to recover more valuable material that conventional flotation equipment would otherwise lose.
What you could build
A retrofittable flotation module or process upgrade licensed to mineral processing plants and copper/critical minerals miners seeking to improve recovery rates from existing ore streams; primary buyers would be mid-tier and major mining companies running concentrator operations.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia-based mining operations and critical minerals companies (e.g., those targeting Appalachian copper or rare earth deposits) or engineering firms serving the mining sector could find direct application.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Roe-Hoan YOON, Kaiwu HUANG, Mohit GUPTA, Christopher Aaron Noble
- Filed
- Patent pending — filed March 14, 2024
- Status
- Application
- Publication number
- US20240367180A1
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.