Beyond Reagent Trials – Future Directions in Flotation Chemistry Research

Speaker

Associate Professor Liza Forbes

Abstract

Despite a century of advances in mineral flotation, industrial practice remains dominated by empirical reagent trials that often fail to capture the complexity of the underlying chemistry. A fundamental reframing of flotation chemistry as an integrated system is required to combat this, where mineral geochemistry, particle surface chemistry, reagent delivery, bubble dynamics, and water chemistry interact to determine process performance. By drawing on recent research at the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC), the presentation illustrates how embracing this systems perspective can generate transformative improvements in flotation efficiency, selectivity, and operational predictability.

Bio

Liza Forbes is an Associate Professor at the Sustainable Minerals Institute at the The University of Queensland and Group Leader of the Flotation Chemistry Research Group at the JKMRC. Her research focuses on flotation reagent chemistry, mineral surface chemistry, and sulphide electrochemistry, with an emphasis on integrating fundamental science with applied mineral processing.