filtration

The separation of a solid from a liquid by passing through a filter. The suspension is poured into the filter funnel where the filter paper traps all solid particles but allows the liquid to pass through to be collected below.

Technique by which suspended solid particles in a fluid are removed by passing the mixture through a filter, usually porous paper, plastic, or cloth. The particles are retained by the filter to form a residue and the fluid passes through to make up the filtrate. For example, soot may be filtered from air, and suspended solids from water.