Excessive foam in copper flotation occupies effective tank space, reduces processing capacity, and disrupts mineral-bubble adhesion, leading to 3–8% copper recovery loss and 2–5% concentrate grade fluctuation. One large-scale copper mine reported 60% defoamer efficacy decay in strong alkaline pulp (pH 11–13), with over 40% foam coverage causing annual losses of ¥3.6 million.


Chemi Tech's Core Innovation

KM-608 delivers three breakthroughs:

  1. Nano-composite system:
    Hydrophobic silica (≤5μm) and modified polyether  to reduce dynamic surface tension to 24mN/m (25°C), breaking persistent foam in 5 seconds while suppressing rebound for 120 minutes—cutting dosage frequency by 50%.


  3. Broad pH/temperature resilience:
    Maintains stability at pH 1–14 and 10–80°C, resisting 5000s⁻¹ shear to prevent failure amid pulp alkalinity fluctuations.


  5. Zero interference with flotation:
    Compatible with xanthate/dithiophosphate collectors, preserving chalcopyrite/bornite hydrophobicity to ensure recovery rate and concentrate grade.


Case Study

At a Chilean copper flotation plant (pH 12.5 pulp):

Dosage: 0.15% added once at roughing stage (versus 0.3% for conventional defoamers);

  • Results:

    • Foam layer thickness reduced from 18cm to 4cm, increasing tank throughput by 22%;

    • Copper concentrate grade upgraded from 23.5% to 26.8%, with tailings copper content dropping to 0.15% (from 0.32%);

    • Annual savings of ¥370,000 in defoamer costs and 150 tons less copper metal loss.

Deployed in porphyry and sulfide copper flotation, compatible with pneumatic and mechanical flotation cells.