Investigating the effect of coal macerals on the recovery rate of the flotation process- a case study

Alborz-Sharghi coal washing plant is one of the most significant coal producers in Iran, which has a low recovery rate in the flotation process. This paper investigates the effect of coal macerals types on the flotation recovery rate. For this purpose, a comprehensive sampling procedure was conducted on the feed of the flotation system. Afterwards, the required polished sections of the samples were prepared for detecting the macerals. After conducting a series of flotation tests on the samples, the recovery rate results were compared based on detected macerals on the polished sections. The results revealed that the flotation recovery rate increased with the rising vitrinite contents. However, it decreased with increasing fusinite and liptinite contents.