AbstractBACKGROUNDThe paper comprises the study of the enrichment process of potash ore with the addition of industrial oils I‐8A, I‐12A, I‐30A to the base complex collector as an additional hydrophobizator.RESULTSComparative studies of flotation using liquid paraffins and industrial oils have shown the effectiveness of the latter. Physical research methods showed the effect of hydrophobizing additives on the adsorption of amine on potassium chloride crystals.CONCLUSIONThe research found that introducing industrial oils into the flotation system ensures potassium chloride extraction at the same level 93.25–94.86% as when using a collective mixture with liquid paraffins. It was 10.2–11.5% higher than when using a collective mixture without apolar reagents. Thus, the best flotation performance using industrial oils was possible due to increased apolar reagent consumption. The optimal consumption of industrial oil under laboratory conditions was 20–25 g t–1 ore. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).