Go to the MEI Online homepage Sponsored by: Flotation '15 sponsors     Flotation '15 sponsors CPD Certified
Search Site:

MEI Online: MEI Conferences: Flotation '15: Introduction

Home General Introduction Conference Report Conference Programme Published Papers Delegate List Photos Contacts Flotation '17  

 

The 7th International Flotation Conference (Flotation '15) was organised by MEI in consultation with Prof. Dee Bradshaw and Prof. Jim Finch and was sponsored by eDart, Outotec, FLSmidth, Cheminova, SNF Flomin, Aminpro, Metso, Axis House, Senmin, Huntsman, Magotteaux, SGS, Promet101, Clariant, ZEISS, Cytec, Akzo Nobel & Manildra Group. Media sponsors were International Mining, Mining Prospectus & AT International.

Flotation '15 featured 2 discrete symposia:

 

November 16-17: Flotation Fundamentals: Physics and Chemistry

Although now over a hundred years old, the fundamental aspects of flotation are still being intensively researched, and new machines developed. This two day symposium focused on:

  • Fundamental reagent and flotation chemistry
  • Bubbles, froths, bubble-particle interactions
  • Flotation cell hydrodynamics, kinetics and scale-up

The first keynote lecture "What have models and measurements ever done for us?" was given by Prof. Jan Cilliers, of Royal School of Mines, Imperial College London.

Jan is Professor of Mineral Processing and Head of Department of Earth Science and Engineering in the Royal School of Mines at Imperial College London, where he leads the Rio Tinto Centre for Advanced Mineral Recovery, which was established at Imperial College in 2008 to develop new technologies in block caving, leaching and flotation.

 

Jan Cilliers

After studying Minerals Engineering, and working both underground and above on the South African gold and platinum mines, he did his PhD in Cape Town. He moved to the UK in 1993, where he established his flotation research team, uniquely specialising in the role of the froth in separating minerals. His research develops complex physical models and measurement techniques to improve mineral separations.

He serves on the International Mineral Processing Council, and leads the Commission on Education. In 2010 he was made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

 

The second keynote lecture "Anisotropic surface-property minerals in flotation circuits" was presented by Dr Janusz Laskowski of the University of British Columbia, Canada.

 

Janusz Laskowski

Dr. Laskowski, Professor Emeritus of mineral processing at the University of British Columbia, Canada, obtained all his degrees, including Ph.D., from the Silesian University of Technology in Poland. His education also included one year stay as a postgraduate student with Department of Colloid Chemistry, Lomonosov University, Moscow, and one year stay as a post- doctoral fellow with Dr. J.A. Kitchener at Imperial College, London.

In 1979, he chaired the 13th Int. Mineral Processing Congress in Warsaw. In 2002 he started his own research company, Laskowski Research Inc.

Dr. Laskowski was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award of the International Mineral Processing Council at the 24th International Mineral Processing Congress in Beijing (2008), and is a recipient of the Antoine Gaudin Award (2011).

 

November 18-19: Flotation Applications and Plant Practice

This two day symposium focused on the application of flotation, and included sessions on:

  • Plant Operations, particularly related to new technology, and process mineralogy problems
  • Flotation Circuits, and their modelling, simulation, control and optimisation
  • Flotation machine developments
  • Metallic, non-metallic and coal flotation
  • Environmental considerations

The first keynote lecture "Evolution of flotation chemistry research: a century of innovations and the emerging challenges" was given by Prof. D.R. Nagaraj of Cytec, USA.

 

D.R. Nagaraj

Nagaraj, or Nag as he is popularly known, is Principal Research Fellow at Cytec. He started his career at Cyanamid in 1979 after his doctorate from Columbia University, and held various positions in Cyanamid/Cytec over the years, but never far from science, research, and education which are his passions. Nag has degrees in both chemistry and metallurgy. He has a strong background in Minerals Processing, Extractive Metallurgy, Organic/Analytical/Coordination Chemistry, Water Soluble Polymers, Surface and Colloid Chemistry, Electrochemistry, Statistics and Experimental Design. His main area of expertise is in the chemical aspects of mineral processing and in the design, development, and implementation of practical chemical schemes for diverse applications in mineral processing. He served as a co-editor for IJMP for many years. He is an Adjunct professor at Columbia University. Nag is a Distinguished Member of SME and has been very active in SME since 1977 in various capacities, most recently serving as a member on the SME-MPD Executive committee and as a Chair.

 

The second keynote lecture "Where is the standard flotation test?" was given by Peter Amelunxen, Director of Metallurgy, Aminpro Chile.

 

Peter Amelunxen

Peter completed his Bachelor�s degree in Mining Engineering at the University of Arizona and his Master�s degree in Mineral Processing at McGill University. He has worked for more than 15 years in diverse rolls including consulting, grinding and flotation circuit modeling, plant operations, engineering, and laboratory testing. During this time he authored or co-authored many papers on flotation testing, modeling, and circuit design. He is also a founding partner and serves as Director of Metallurgy for Aminpro Chile and President of Aminpro Peru. Peter was the recipient of the 2007 SME Young Engineer Award, the 2011 SME Arthur F. Taggart Award, and the 2011 MEI Young Persons Award. He lives with his family in Lima, Peru.

 

Simulation Course

Immediately prior to Flotation '15, Dr Stephen Gay ran a 3-day Simulation Course. The course took place between the 13-15 November 2015 in the conference venue, the Vineyard Hotel.

The course covered all aspects from basic data accumulation and analysis to advanced software development. Delegates gained insights into the metallurgical process via advanced mathematical techniques and able to develop systems for high level decision making using modern techniques of computer simulation methodology.

More details...

 

Previous Conferences

"This is just a short note to congratulate you and all others involved in the organisation of the excellent Flotation '11 Conference held in Cape Town in November. In my view it was the best specialist Flotation conference I have ever attended. The papers were universally of a high standard and the solid attendance and intensive participation of the large audience from the first to the very last session was testimony to this. This biennial event is now firmly established as a 'must attend' for anyone actively involved in flotation research or practice!"
Cyril O'Connor, Chair: International Mineral Processing Conference


"Congratulations on Flotation 07. It was an excellent meeting."
Prof. Graeme Jameson, University of Newcastle, Australia

Read the conference reports from past Flotation conferences and see the technical programmes and view the delegate lists too.

Delegates at Flotation '11
Delegates at Flotation '11

"It [Flotation '11] was my first international conference. It was excellent, bringing all the big names whom I thought existed only in print. Definitely looking forward to the next in the series."
Tsepang Khonthu, Uni. of Cape Town, South Africa

"Many thanks for a great conference [Flotation '11], well organised with quality papers. I get the feeling the conference and venue is becoming known not only for good papers but also (and of equal importance) as a very conducive networking site."
Martyn Hay, Eurus Mineral Consultants, South Africa

"This conference [Flotation 07] will go down in the history of flotation as a point of reference when flotation turned a new page and moved on to its next level of knowledge and best practice."
Dr. Norman Lotter, Xstrata Process Technology, Canada

More testimonials

 

Organisers

The conference was organised by Minerals Engineering International (MEI) in consultation with Prof. Dee Bradshaw and Prof. Jim Finch.

 

 

Dee Bradshaw

Dee is a professorial research fellow at the JKMRC at the University of Queensland, Australia, where she is involved in a number of projects focussed on process mineralogy and flotation chemistry characterisation and optimisation.

She has worked closely with industrial partners and has published widely, and especially in Minerals Engineering and has been a strong supporter of MEI conferences.

Dee Bradshaw

 

Jim Finch

Jim has been on staff in the Department of Mining and Materials Engineering, McGill University since 1973, serving as Chair from 1988 to 1991 and was appointed to the Hatch Chair in Mining and Metallurgical Engineering in 2005. He has held a succession of NSERC Chair awards since 1991. He has co-authored over 250 articles and one book and supervised over 80 post-graduate students.

He has received the Gaudin Award from SME, the Alcan Award, Silver Medal, and Falconbridge Innovation Award from MetSoc/CIM, and from NSERC in 2008, as team leader, the Leo Derikx Synergy Award for Innovation. A conference in his honour was held in Sudbury, 2009 and he was elected to the Academy of Science of the Royal Society of Canada in 2002.

Jim Finch

 

Continuing Professional Development

Flotation '15 was certified for Continuing Professional Development.

 

 

 

© 1998-2021, Minerals Engineering International


Email: amanda@min-eng.com