Beneficiation of oil shale by froth flotation

In the future, oil shale will be an important energy resource. Froth flotation is a new method increasing the usability of oil shale. In this paper, oil shale samples were characterized based on their mineral composition, proximate analysis, ultimate analysis, size distribution, and density analysis. In addition, the flotation performance of oil shale was investigated. The effects of pulp concentration, agitation speed, aeration rate, and the type of reagents on the flotation performance were explored. Analysis of the samples’ characteristics indicates that cleansed oil shale is highly usable. The optimal flotation performance occurred for a pulp concentration of 50 g/L, a collector dosage of 1000 g/t, a frother dosage of 300 g/t, an agitation speed of 1900 rpm, and an aeration rate of 160 L/h. Froth flotation is a mature method and is widely used, and thus, it can be used to improve the industrial production of oil shale.