From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids
The term flotation is also used to refer to an initial public offering (IPO) of a company's shares on a stock exchange.
Flotation is a method for the separation of mixtures. Flotation is a separation technique used widely in the minerals industry, for paper, de-inking, and water treatment amongst others. It can also be used in the food and coal industries. The technique relies upon differences in the surface properties of different particles to separate them. The particles that are to be floated are rendered hydrophobic by the addition of the appropriate chemicals. Air is then bubbled through the mixture and the desired particles become attached to the small air bubbles and move to the surface where they accumulate as a froth and are collected, or if the non-desired particles float to the surface they are collected and discarded. The flotation process was developed on a commercial scale early in the 20th century at Broken Hill in Australia and is widely used for processing of sulphide minerals (copper, lead, zinc, nickel, cobalt etc...). When used in this connection, it is termed Froth flotation.
The flotation process is also widely used in industrial waste water treatment plants, where it is applied to remove fats, oil, grease and suspended solids from waste water. These units are called Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) units.[1] Some important suppliers and innovators of DAF technology are REDOX Water Technology, Krofta and US Filter.
Flotation is also used in archaeology to separate plant remains from soil.
Flotation is also used to describe any material added to the hull of a watercraft to keep the hull afloat even when filled with water.
[edit] References
- ^ Beychok, Milton R. (1967). Aqueous Wastes from Petroleum and Petrochemical Plants, 1st Edition, John Wiley & Sons Ltd.. LCCN 67-19834..