A comparative study on the effects of dry and wet grinding on mineral flotation separation–a review

Water scarcity dictates to limit the use of water in ore processing plants particularly in arid regions. Since wet grinding is the most common method for particle size reduction and mineral liberation, there is a lack of understanding about the effects of dry grinding on downstream separation processes such as flotation. This manuscript compiles various effects of dry grinding on flotation and compares them with wet grinding. Dry grinding consumes higher energy and produces wider particle size distributions compared with wet grinding. It significantly decreases the rate of media consumption and liner wear; thus, the contamination of pulp for flotation separation is lower after dry grinding. Surface roughness, particle agglomeration, and surface oxidation are higher in dry grinding than wet grinding, which all these effects on the flotation process. Moreover, dry ground samples in the pulp phase correlate with higher Eh and dissolved oxygen concentration. Therefore, dry grinding can alter the floatability of minerals. This review thoroughly assesses various approaches for flotation separation of different minerals, which have been drily ground, and provides perspectives for further future investigations.