flotation

noun

• the action of floating in a liquid or gas:the body form is modified to assist in flotation and propulsion
• the process of offering a company’s shares for sale on the stock market for the first time.
• the process of separating small particles of various materials by treatment with chemicals in water in order to make some particles adhere to air bubbles and rise to the surface for removal while others remain in the water.
• the capacity to float; buoyancy.