ABSTRACTThe micro-floatation of an amorphous graphite sample was conducted using a Hallimond tube with various droplet sizes of emulsified kerosene as collector. The results showed that the experimental recovery of the sample and the kinetic constants (both k and ϵ∞) obtained from the four kinetics models all increased with the decrease of the droplet size. These may be attributed to the fact that the smaller and greater the specific surface area of the droplets, the more easy it is for them to collide with, adhere to, and spread on the sample particles, and then render the particles more hydrophobic. The stronger hydrophobic of particles was better beneficial to the adhesion probability and force between them and the bubbles, which made more amorphous graphite particles floated in the floatation process. In addition, the extended Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (DLVO) theory was applied to study the interaction between the sample particles and the emulsified kerosene droplets. The results indicated that the hydrophobic attractions played a dominant role in the combined effect of collision and attachment between the sample particles and the droplets.