The flotation process is one of the promising techniques for separating hydrophobic particles. In this study, the film flotation, using a methanol-water mixture as a separating liquid, was tested not only to reveal the material's hydrophobicity but also to upgrade two oil shale samples that differ in their organic content using different methanol concentrations and particle sizes. The loss on ignition (LOI), as an organic content indicator, and organics recovery in the floated fraction were taken as responses to wettability and separation progress. The oil shale samples behave differently in terms of LOI and recovery due to their organic content difference, type of impurities, and the distribution of organics into the ore matrix. Thus, El-Nakheil sample has the highest response to the film flotation in terms of hydrophobicity but with limited upgrading results due to inadequate liberation and agglomeration of particles when finer sizes were used.
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