Concentration of eastern oil shales by froth flotation

Concentration of Eastern oil shale has been accomplished by size reduction and froth flotation techniques. The efficiency of kerogen recovery depends on the extent of size reduction (1iberation) as well as frother and promoter additions. Certain grinding aids sucli as sodium silicate and fuel oil have a significant effect on the recovery and grade of the kerogen concentrate. The liberation characteristics of the ground oil shale have been analyzed by Image Analyzer and have been used to assess the effectiveness of grinding. The energy requred for size reduction by a conventional ball mill and by a high speed stirred ball mill have been measured and compared. Finally, the potential for fast flotation of oil shale with the air sparged hydrocyclone is discussed as an alternative to conventional flotation cells.