**Abstract**

Cellulose derivatives (CDs) have been recognized as an anionic water-soluble, non-toxic, biocompatible and biodegradable polysaccharide. The CDs have been used as a viscosity regulator, thickening agent, sizing agent and coating agent and emulsion stabilizer, electrode binder in various industries. These characteristics properties of CDs are associated with hydroxyl groups/functionalized groups present in their structure. The CDs have significant advantages in various fields including several industrial applications such as mineral processing, palletisation process, oil drilling industrial applications due to their non-toxic and selective properties. Moreover, The CDs have been extensively used as a depressant, dispersant as well as flocculants in mineral processing from various ores. During the mineral processing like flotation of sulfide minerals highly toxic inorganic species were used as dispersant and depressant which ultimately cases environmental toxicity. Therefore, there is a current need to introduce CDs as various alternative nontoxic dispersant and flocculants. This chapter emphasized an overview of the application of CDs in mineral processing including the structure, properties of the commonly used minerals processing.

**Keywords:** cellulose derivatives (CDs), mineral processing, depressant, dispersant

## **1. Introduction**

Cellulose has been recognized as the most abundant polymer on the planet, making it an important raw material for a variety of applications. Because of its potential use in the development of biofuels, cellulose has recently gained attention. However, cellulose's flexibility has been demonstrated in a variety of applications. It can also be chemically modified to produce cellulose derivatives (CDs) [1]. The two main classes of cellulose derivatives (CDs) were Cellulose ethers and cellulose esters, which have different physicochemical and mechanical properties. The Cellulose derivatives (CDs) have been widely used in a wide range of applications, including particle dispersion, flocculation processes, surface treatment, and so on. Tablet binding, thickening, film-forming, water retention, adhesion, and suspending and emulsifying agents are some of the most common uses of cellulose derivatives in tablet and capsule formulations. Natural aggregates are still important in cement production, though high-purity sources are becoming harder to come by. The CDs have been used to "inert" the aggregate to the cement formulation to prevent clay minerals associated with the aggregates from adversely affecting the

cement formulation by adsorption of plasticizers and resulting property alteration [2]. The CD's application in the upstream petroleum industry, such as exploration, drilling, development, and distribution, has recently sparked renewed interest. Adding CDs to fluids, in particular, can have important benefits for improved oil recovery and well drilling, such as changing fluid properties, rock wettability alternation, advanced drag reduction, sand consolidation strengthening, minimizing interfacial friction, and increasing mobility of capillary-trapped oil [3].

For the depression of copper minerals, inorganic modifiers such as sodium cyanide, sodium sulphide or hydrosulphide, ferrocyanides, and Nokes reagent are frequently used. These reagents were very reliable, but their use has recently raised environmental concerns. CDs depressants have been investigated as possible alternatives to avoid this issue. The use of polysaccharides namely starch, dextrin, and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) in sulphide minerals have been identified [4–11]. A frother is produced by combining hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) or hydroxyethyl methylcellulose (HMC) with at least one non-ionic organic surfactant or polyglycol esters. The new cellulose-based frothers can be used in mineral processing plants to allow for the processing of larger amounts of minerals without requiring major changes to existing equipment. This book chapter describes the structure, properties of the commonly used CDs in minerals processing.
