Abstract: Flotation is widely employed to recovery minerals.Air bubble as the flotation carrier plays an important role in the flotation process.Air bubble flotation，modified oil bubble(air bubbles covered with a thin layer of oil collectors) flotation and reactive oily bubble flotation (air bubbles covered with a thin layer of neutral oil containing collectors) were compared in terms of air bubble-oil bubble-reactive oily bubble.The flotation dynamics indicate that the conventional air bubble flotation and the modified oil bubble flotation is a two-step process，but the reactive oily bubble can achieve one-step flotation，which decrease the adhesion energy of bubble and mineral particles and improve the flotation efficiency.The surface property of reactive oily bubble was analyzed from the liberation degree of collector at oil-water interface，suggesting that the surface property of reactive oily bubble is determined by the solution pH and the collector added in the neutral oil.DLVO theory is applied to analyze the interaction energy between different bubbles and mineral particles to explain the superiority of reactive oily bubble over air bubble and oily bubble in the flotation process.The reactive oil bubble successful application in flotation reveals that the interaction between reactive oily bubble and mineral surface is stronger than traditional interaction between air bubbles and mineral surface.The reactive oily bubble shows a stronger collecting power to minerals compared with air bubble and oil bubble flotation.This novel technology can improve the flotation efficiency and decrease the collector dosage.Reactive oily bubble as flotation carrier opened up a new research field from a special visual of bubble for the flotation industry.

Key words: Flotation, Bubble, Oil bubble, Reactive oily bubble