Availability of good quality water sources for processing industries is becoming problematic. In coal preparation, the recycling of process water used to reduce freshwater consumption is increasingly practiced but it normally leads to the build-up of salts and surfactants in the process water. Therefore, the effect of the process water chemistry on plants, product quality and separation process becomes significant but is not yet fully understood. In this study, the coal flotation was performed in the solutions MgCl2, NaCl, and NaClO3. In addition to the flotation tests, the froth stability, bubble size and foam films were also studied to quantify flotation performance in the presence of salts. The results showed that the enhancement of flotation performance depends on the salt type and concentration. Particularly, MgCl2 showed the best flotation response. NaCl gave a medium flotation response whereas NaClO3 showed the lowest flotation response with an increase in salt concentration. The froth stability experiments showed that froth stability increases with increasing salt concentration, with MgCl2 giving the most stable froth and NaClO3 showing the lowest froth stability. The bubble size measurements revealed that increasing salt concentration decreases the bubble size which increases the flotation recovery. The results for the froth stability in the presence of salts agree with data for the foam film stability and lifetime. It is concluded that salts enhance coal flotation but the effect depends on the salt type and concentration.