lixiviation
/lɪkˌsɪviˈeɪʃən/
noun
- The process of separating a soluble substance from a solid by washing or percolating with a liquid, such as water.
- In chemistry class, we performed lixiviation to extract salt from a mixture of sand and salt.
- The ancient method of lixiviation was used to obtain potash from wood ashes.
- Lixiviation is an important step in some mining operations to separate valuable minerals from ore.
Synonyms