Ion flotation, using dodecylamine as surfactant and magnesium ions as depressant agents, was found to be an effective method for the selective separation and recovery of tungstate from arsenate anions in dilute aqueous solutions. Arsenates represent the main impurity in tungsten-containing waste waters or leaching solutions of hydrometallurgical origin; magnesium chloride is a relatively common precipitant, used in tungsten hydrometallurgy. The main parameters affecting this process were investigated, namely concentrations of reagents (Mg2+ ions, dodecylamine, arsenate and tungstate), solution pH, co-existence and effective separation from other impurities, such as phosphate and/or silicate anions, and the effectiveness of the separation process in solutions of high ionic strength (using NaCl and Na2SO4 salts). It was found that at pH range between 2 and 5, tungstate anions can be quantitatively recovered from aqueous mixtures containing arsenates, phosphates and silicates, while the co-removal of the impurities was below 20%.