Froth flotation is a continuous separation process where solids in liquid suspension are removed through their preferential attachment to air bubbles. During normal operation, the bubbles mix with solid/liquid mixture at the base of a column (flotation cell) and rise through the liquid with the required solids preferentially attached to their surfaces; gangue, the unwanted material, is discarded. Toward the top of the column both the bubbles, which usually form a foam or froth, and their solids load are mechanically removed, for instance by skimming.
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