The hydrophobic flocculation of the lignite obtained from the Ermenek region was investigated under the different operating parameters such as pH, sodium silicate concentration and kerosene concentration in the present work. Determination of combustible recovery, ash content and zeta potential values were utilized in order to make sense of the hydrophobic flocculation behavior. To specify indirectly the hydrophobicity degree of the coal, contact angle measurements were performed on the flocks obtained from the experiments. The combustion characteristics of coal such as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermogravimetric analysis (DTGA), ignition temperature, and peak temperature were analyzed and correlated with the hydrophobic flocculation. In consequence, optimum pH value was determined as to be 4; optimum sodium silicate and kerosene concentration were also ascertained as to be 1 kg/t and 16 kg/t, respectively. When experimental conditions were set up optimally, the flocks were obtained with combustible recovery of 90% and ash content of 9.8%. The strong correlation was observed between the hydrophobic flocculation results and ignition temperatures and peak temperatures acquired from the DTGA curves. The surface tension of solution, however, showed no remarkable changing. It was confirmed that the contact angle values ranged from 114 degrees to 130 degrees and the surfaces were highly hydrophobic. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.