Froth flotation

Froth flotation separates mineral particles by differences in surface wettability: air bubbles attach to selected particles and carry them into a froth for collection.

Hydrophobicity: The tendency of a surface to repel water and associate with nonpolar substances. Hydrophobic mineral surfaces attach more readily to air bubbles than water-wet surfaces.
Mineral processing: The treatment of mined material to separate valuable minerals from gangue and prepare products for further processing. Froth flotation is one of the main physical methods used to concentrate ores.
William Haynes (metallurgist): An American metallurgist who patented an oil-based method for separating minerals in the 1860s. His process anticipated flotation by exploiting differences in mineral affinity for oil and water.
Gravity separation: A mineral-separation method that exploits differences in particle density and settling behavior. Unlike flotation, it separates chiefly by density rather than surface wettability.
Contact angle: The angle at which a liquid–gas interface meets a solid surface, indicating how well the liquid wets it. It quantifies mineral wettability and helps predict bubble attachment.
Copper extraction: The industrial production of copper from ores, concentrates, and recycled materials. Flotation commonly produces copper-rich concentrates from finely ground sulfide ores.
Frank Elmore: A British mining engineer associated with early commercial use of oil flotation for mineral separation. His work helped bring early flotation methods into industrial practice.
Magnetic separation: A separation method that uses magnetic forces to sort particles according to their magnetic response. It can separate suitable minerals without relying on bubble attachment or reagents.
Collector (mineral processing): A flotation reagent that adsorbs onto selected mineral surfaces and makes them more hydrophobic. Collectors create the surface contrast that lets target particles attach to bubbles.
Sulfide mineral: A mineral composed of sulfur combined with one or more other elements, often including metals. Many commercially important sulfide ores are concentrated by flotation.

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