Fractal and microscopic quantitative characterization of unclassified tailings flocs

A series of laboratory investigations are conducted to analyze the effect of flocculant type on the spatial morphology and microstructural characteristics of flocs during the flocculation and settling of tailings. Four flocculant types (i.e., ZYZ, JYC-2, ZYD, and JYC-1) are considered in this study. The fractal characteristics and internal structures of tailings flocs with different flocculant types and settlement heights are analyzed by conducting scanning electron microscopy and X-ray micro-computed tomography scanning experiments based on the fractal theory. Results show that unclassified tailings flocs are irregular clusters with fractal characteristics, and the flocculation effect of the four flocculant types has the following trend: ZYZ > JYC-2 > ZYD > JYC-1. The size and average grayscale value of tailings flocs decrease with the increase in settlement height. The average grayscale values at the top and bottom are 144 and 103, respectively. The settlement height remarkably affects the pore distribution pattern, as reflected in the constructed three-dimensional pore model of tailings flocs. The top part of flocs has relatively good penetration, whereas the bottom part of flocs has mostly dispersed pores. The number of pores increases exponentially with the increase in settlement height. By contrast, the size of pores initially increases and subsequently decreases with the increase in settlement height.