Floatation apparatus and recovery and utilization of wood fines from mill wastes

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING WOOD FINES OF DIFFERING DENSITIES COMPRISING A SLUICE BOX HAVING AN UPWARDLY INCLINED BOTTOM WALL, SAID SLICE BOX DEFINING AN EXIT PORT PROXIMATE THE UPPER END OF SAID BOTTOM WALL, A CHAMBER COMMUNICATING WITH SAID PORT AND HAVING WALLS ABOVE THE LEVEL OF SAID PORT IN SAID SLUICE BOX AND ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A BODY OF WATER EXTENDING ABOVE SAID PORT, CHANNEL MEANS LOCATED PROXIMATE SAID SLUICE BOX AND IN FLUID COMMUNICATION THEREWITH TO INTRODUCE WOOD FINES THEREIN, AND CONDUIT MEANS IN FLUID COMMUNICATION WITH SAID SLUICE BOX TO INTRODUCE SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY DOWNWARDLY INTO SAID SLUICE BOX AN AQUEOUS MEDIUM WHEREBY FINES ENTRAINED IN SUCH DOWNWARDLY INTRODUCED AQUEOUS MEDIUM ARE UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED THROUGH SAID SLUICE BOX EXIT PORT UPWARDLY TOWARD THE SURFACE OF THE FLUID LOCATED IN SAID CHAMBER WHEREBY FINES OF DIFFERENT DENSITIES READILY SEPARATE IN SAID FLUID AND ARE SEPARATELY RECOVERABLE.