The flotation process can go green

Abstract

In today's world of environmental strain, wastewater treatment has become a, more or less, conventional application of flotation-as for instance, in the oil, food, or chemical industries, and in potable water treatment. In this paper, different flotation methods (such as ion, adsorbing colloid, and adsorptive flotation, including biosorption) and techniques will be reviewed; and, in order to explain them further, several applications of these from the laboratory (General and Inorganic Chemical Technology) at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece (AUTh) will be presented and analyzed, with the main focus on sustainability. The application of flotation as a separation process, when applied in pollution control or during water treatment, was often criticized due to the possible toxicity of the applied collectors; however, the use of biosurfactants may alleviate this concern and enhance its further acceptability.