ABSTRACT

The surface charge residing at a gas-liquid surface is a factor that acts upon a number of practical issues such as froth flotation, for example, a process which is commonly used in domains as different as mineral recovery, the paper-making industry, the farm-product industry, wastewater treatment, etc. In this separation process, air bubbles collect hydrophobic particles selectively and push them up to the surface of the pulp, leaving hydro­ philic particles behind in the pulp. It is well known that among the many factors which affect the process, electrostatic charges of both the particles and the bubbles play an important role [1,2].