Even after having been used for several years in mineral processing plants, the full potential of the column flotation process is still not fully exploited. There is obviously more than one reason explaining this, but one important contributing factor is certainly the under usage of available control capabilities. Researchers and practitioners have been interested in column flotation simulation and control for more than two decades. This paper provides an overview of the literature focused on these specific fields of research. It also discusses some future investigative issues and how the current industry may benefit from past developments, (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.