noun
- the process of separating fine particles from coarser ones by washing and decanting, or by using a current of air or liquid
Usage: technical; commonly used in chemistry, geology, and materials science
Examples
- The laboratory technician used elutriation to separate clay particles from sand.
- Elutriation is an important step in ore processing to remove unwanted fine materials.
- The geologist employed elutriation to classify sediment samples by particle size.
- Industrial elutriation equipment can handle large volumes of material efficiently.
- Elutriation with water helped purify the mineral sample for further analysis.