A review of the applications of ion floatation: wastewater treatment, mineral beneficiation and hydrometallurgy

Ion flotation was originally used for pre-concentrating precious metals from dilute solutions. To date, it has attracted widespread attention in many fields due to its low energy requirements, simplicity, rapid operation, small space requirements, suitability for a variety of target ions at various levels, small volume of sludge, low residual concentration, and low operating cost. This review focuses on the applications of ion flotation in wastewater treatment, mineral beneficiation, such as rare precious metal recovery, and hydrometallurgy, such as pre-concentrating of rare earth elements and selective separation of multicomponent ions. The outlook of ion flotation is also discussed.