Electrical Aspects of Adsorbing Colloid Flotation. IX. Effects of Surfactant Overdosing

Abstract

The effect on flotation of excessively high surfactant concentrations is examined within the framework of the Fuerstenau-Somasundaran-Healy model. Statistical mechanical methods are used to calculate the adsorption isotherm of a second hemimicelle of surfactant on top of the hemimicelle in the primary adsorption layer. The resulting structure presents the charged ends of the surfactant ions to the water, making the coated surface hydrophilic. The effects of temperature, surfactant chain length and cross-sectional area, ionic strength, and ionic size are studied.