Electroflotation process: A review

Flotation is a known gravity separation process originated from mineral processing; concerning the used bubble generation method, this could be typically by dispersed-air flotation, dissolved-air flotation or electroflotation. The later technique constitutes the scope of the present review article, commenting recent selected papers published in the literature, and focusing on applications such as waters, heavy metals, biological wastes, etc. Examples given (from our lab) are, among others, minerals like magnesite and pyrite, and pollutant metal ions, as Cd(II) and Cr(VI). The process advantages were discussed in-depth, such as the electric field gradient and the fine gas bubbles; and also, certain design aspects (as kinetics, hydrodynamics, electrolytic cell). Electroflotation was shown to contribute well for the recycling of by-products and waste materials, including water.