Show OIL FlOTATION Will IMPROVE METHODS OF RECOVERING VAlUES S. S Oil flotation notation has hu done t o ders for tor revolutionizing re methods method for or making re recoveries reo re- co of minerals from the low grade deposits deposit aile and still HUll great reat things are to be obtained from this all Important dl cov- cov cr cry ery Utah Copper is now constructing a small plant for rOl the purpose of or making more extensive tests on Its tailings tailing and there Is every ery reason on to believe c that I methods will t be employed to recover a large percentage of or the 3 35 3 to 45 per cent copper that the the- present methods fall raU to get geL The discovery of ot the oil notation flotation I and its results are lore told as fellows fellow's To watch h happy childhood blowing soap bubbles into the air or to observe ob-erve themore the themore themore more prosaic suds in the numble wash t washbasin basin hardly Inspires ordinary man mart with L the germ berm thought of an epochal en lion tion Bubbles B l They seem eem Ifs less substantial tItan than the that dreams are aie made o of ot Yet a school chool mistress some ome thirty odd years ears a ago o developed n a big idea d a fro from l the filmy bubble bibble Toda Today that Idea still In it its Infancy ne of or practical application ii is I turning out millions Patent suits sult In Involving In millions of oC dollars a and nd the exIstence existence ex ox- ex- ex o of several International corporations corporations corporations corpora corpora- 11 are arc pending In tIC the United States State Great Britain and Australia the suits I centering on this application of th those hubbies To this idea the worlds world lead- lead zinc producer at Broken lilt Hill Australia stands as as' as asa a monument and without It II the worlds world's third ranking zinc mine Butte Superior at Butte Mont Tont would not be alive toda today Those selfsame bubbles hubbIes can call add It i is computed annually In net profits from sands going to waste at six of our bl big copper prod producers na fla Ana Anaconda conda Utah Ray Chino Chinoca Nevada c a a and I Miami Flotation or oil flotation as it la Is I sometimes called Is the m magic gle which I makes mall s these things s possible Carrie Carric 1 a Denver cr school schoolteacher I teacher in the thc carl early SOs SO was cleaning dc out and r in soapsuds some emptied ore sacks for or hot her brother r an 11 assayer She he ob observed er cd a peculiarity In iii the he suds I In cleaning out the powdered dirt from rota sacks containing sulphide ore ores The rhe froth frolli of the bubbles Wt was literally charged har 11 with I of or sulphide ore minerals Observations convinced her that the tho oils In the soap had hart a p. p peculiar cullar affinity for the tiny Uny grains of metal sulphides sulphides zinc lead l. copper cop per silver iron IlOn etc which when L greased with these oils a and 1111 a agitated I floated up Into tho lie suds ln la leaving the bari bar bar- i lon n rock or 01 dirt below V. Sho also ob observed cr cr eu I that a little acid In n the water often orten increased in in- cr creased the tho flo-Alin flo property In she nhe tool out letters Itter patent for 01 this method of ore dressing dressing dressing-br for in-for for separating ing Int minerals from or hat bal rca ren I r rock k Alas Ala Her lr Invention met only with ridicule The Idea ItiC of ot floating rock upon I bubbles Tho The expense e In those days das of 01 r th the th the flue flue- pulverizing rock Tock to necessary I n liss and drenching the th fine tine slimy mass massI J with oils and a acid ld and beating up tip a I froth then handling this frat was pro e Other m methods of ore dressing S by br gravity sra concentration on pulsating water tables were were- much easier ealer cheaper and arid better understood But Carrie Carrl er E Everson on was merely a score More of years ears ahead o of her day and genera genera- ra- ra tion During the twenty years cn rs following n her Invention modern machinery had greatly cut down the cost of inc fine grindIng grindIng grind grind- Ing of or rock Tho The growth of the coal tar and petroleum and tho the fertilizer and chemical industries furnished d an abundance abundance dance of or cheap OUR find and acid for or flota tion More Important the tire evolution of ol water tr pa gravity ity concentration had resulted In finer an and even en finer crushing of or ores The outcome was an abundance of or waste I slimes and tine Inc sands high in values and alt all groundS ground and ready rendy at hand tot for or flotation at a minimum cost coPt This Thle h by bytho the tho way is tho ho field par excellence tot for flotation notation rather than th the treatment of ol original ores It Is estimated that over ovel 50 60 per c cent nt of tho copper opper lost In ore dressing ln is Iii In the these verr nn ry the fine sands land and I slimes shies Mechanical appliances have much I simplified the process of production pro and I handling of or tho the froth troth of precious bubo bob S bles blea Flotation was as first applied In a largo I profitable way wy In the zinc lead Broker Broken I Hill 1111 district Australia Scores of or patents pat pat- S IS were vero taken out In Australia and I Great Britain Rival hal companies ownIng own own- lug ling similar fought each ach other In the tho courts for years until to avoid I ruinous litigation most moat of them thorn were ver absorbed ab Rb Into Minerals H Separation limited one of or the older British corporations datIng dating dat dat- ing from Jan January 1 1 1901 an and which I owned tho the principal practical patents In 1911 12 Il tho Ito Butt Superior Butte mine at al Butto adopted a n. process orl l. l nally under tho supervision of or ono one Hyde a former apprentice arid and employee e of the thc London comp company II Last year eu r Minerals Separation brought suit against t Rutt Butte Butte- SuperIor claiming patent infringement The suit cult involved ed about III in royalties and punitive e damages but more Important titan than this Involved ol till the ito aJl validity lt in iii th the lie United States Slates of some of tho alleged basic patents especially as regards the thc all nil important u Ube of slight f amounts of oil less than 1 per cent h by weight of or oil as compared with ore The Tho preliminary legal leal skirmishes s have resulted In the tho United States te court In iii San Han Francisco declaring the thc I Minerals Separation alleged basic patent invalid III In n tho the United States and that Is the lie present status CIllO However Howe the lie thecae I CaSe cape has not yet el come conic before the supreme su SUo su- su preme court nn and until the thc matter does I come como up for review before thin the hl highest tribunal mining companies hesitate to adopt flotation and anti In lay Iny themselves l es open to damage suits for fOI patent infringe infringe- ment Nearly er e every concentrator ator of sulphide copper ores Is ready to a adopt flotation I As In Indicating the lie importance of the thc sub lI leet six companies alone Anaconda Utah Ha Ray itay Chino Nevada e Miami Miami- are arc concentrating dally daily some sorno tons of ore and losing In lii the tho tailing 3 to tons of copper a loss los of about pounds of or copper metal every four hours If It only 70 iO per cent of that t lo loss CUM CUll be reclaimed g by flotation at a anet anet anet I net profit of o S cents per poun pound o of copper copper cop cop- per so reeo recovered and these arc prova probably bl very cry conservative e figures the lie Indicated I added net profits to these thOse six compa- compa tiles from lom this lila source alone alon would exceed yearly And iid le zInc lend id Is an even e more moro Important and anti lucrative field for flotation than copper It is safo safe to Jl-do Jl nay that the litigation en en- en eloping the tho alleged 1 validity of ot the lie Min Separation patents In the United States Involves sums of or money exceeded b by no other case casc before the lie Judicial courts of or thin the world toda today Hence the tue Interest centering ii iou tid tort lion Minerals Separations Separation's pending I |