Process of separating particles of different water wettability

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR SEPARATING A MIXTURE OF MORE WATER WETTABLE MATERIAL FROM LESS WATER WETTABLE MATERIALS COMPRISING: (1) COMINUTING SAID MIXTURE INTO PARTICLES FROM ABOUT 1 TO ABOUT 20 MICRONS; (2) INTRODUCING SAID MIXTURE OF PARTICLES INTO A TWOPHASE THREE-LIQUID SYSTEM CONTAINING AN AQUEOUS LIQUID, A WATER-IMMISCIBLE LIQUID AND A THIRD LIQUID MISCIBLE WITH BOTH THE AQUEOUS AND WATER-IMMISCIBLE LIQUIDS, SAID THIRD LIQUID BEING PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT LESS THAT THAT WHICH WILL CAUSE A COMPLETE MIXTURE OF THE THREE LIQUIDS THEREBY FORMING AN AQUEOUS PHASE AND A NON-AQUEOUS PHASE; (3) AGITATING SAID MIXTURE IN SAID LIQUID SYSTEM TO BRING THE MIXTURE INTO CONTACT WITH BOTH PHASES THEREBY CAUSING THE LESS WATER-WETTABLE MATERIALS TO SEPARATE INTO THE NON-AQUEOUS PHASE AND THE MORE WATER-WETTABLE MATERIALS TO SEPARATE INTO THE AQUEOUS PHASE; AND (4) RECOVERING THE SEPARATED PARTICLES FROM EACH OF SAID PHASES.