Sink-float separation process

Claim 1

IN A SINK-FLOATE SEPARATION PROCESS, WHEREIN FINELY DIVIDED SOLID MATERIALS OF A SIZE WHICH TENDS TO FORM FLOCS IN NON-AQUEOUS MEDIA AND WHICH CONTAINS AT ELAST TWO COMPONENTS OF DIFFERENT DENSITIES ARE SEPARATED BY EMPLOYING A PARTING LIQUID OF INTERMEDIATE DENSITY SUBSTANTIALLY NON-REACTIVE WITH SAID SOLID MATERIAL, SAID PARTING LIQUID HAVING A MAXIMUM VISCOSITY OF ABOUT 5 CENTIPOISES AT PROCESS TEMPERATURE AND CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF AT LEAST ONE HALOGENATED HYDROCARBON CONTAINING INCLUSIVELY FORM ONE TO TWO CARBON ATOMS AND FROM 2 TO 6 HALOGEN ATOMS, WATER BEING PRESENT IN THE PROCESS IN A MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF 2 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF THE SOLID MATERIAL; THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES PROVIDING AN IONIC DISPERSANT WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY UNREACTIVE WITH SAID SOLID MATERIAL AND SAID PARTING LIQUID AND WHICH IS SOLUBLE IN SAID PATING LIQUID, SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF (A) PETROLEUM SULFONATES, (B) CATIONIO AMINE SURFACE ACTIVE AGENTS CONTAINING UP TO 20 CARBON ATOMS AND HAVING AT LEAST ONE UNINTERRUPTED ALKYL GROUP CONTAINING AT LEAST 8 CARBON ATOMS, (C) ANIONIC SULFONATE AND SULFATE-CONTAINNG SURFACE ACTIVE AGENTS HAVING AT LEAST ONE UNINTERRUPED ALKYL CHAIN CONTAINING FROM 8 TO 18 CARBON ATOMS, (D) MONO- AND DIALKYL ESTERS OF PHOSPHORIC ACID, THE MONOALKYL ESTERS CONTAINING FROM 4 TO 20 CARBON ATOMS AND THE DIALKYL ESTERS CONTAINING FROM 8 TO 12 CARBON ATOMS, AND (E) STEARATE ESTERS AND DIVALENT STEARATE SALTS, AND ADDING FROM ABOUT 0.005 TO ABOUT 1.0 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF SAID DISPERSANT TO SAID PARTING LIQUID.