The effects of an anionic (sodium 4-octylbenzenesulfonate, NaOBS) and a cationic (1-dodecylpyridinium chloride, DPC) surfactant on the detachment of colloidal hematite particles adhered to glass beads was studied using the packed column technique. Both additives induced particle removal at concentrations above those necessary for the reversal of charge either on particles or on beads, in order to induce a repulsion between interacting surfaces. The amount of detached hematite was substantially increased as the surfactant concentrations exceeded the corresponding critical micellization concentrations (CMC). Particle removal was shown to follow first order kinetics with two distinctively different rate constants. The value of the constant for rapid removal, k(r), was substantially higher than that established in earlier studies for detachment of the same particles with NaOH solutions. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.