Image forming apparatus and carrier separating device

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an image forming portion, including an image bearing member, configured to form a toner image on a recording material with a liquid developer containing a toner and a carrier liquid,
• wherein the carrier liquid contains a first substance, charged to an opposite polarity to a charge polarity of the toner, for imparting an electrical polarity to the toner and a second substance, higher in volume resistivity than the first substance, as a dispersion medium for dispersing the toner;
• a cleaning portion configured to collect the liquid developer remaining on said image bearing member after the toner image is transferred onto the recording material;
• a toner separating device configured to separate the liquid developer, fed from said cleaning portion, into the toner and the carrier liquid;
• a carrier separating device configured to separate the carrier liquid, separated by said toner separating device, into the carrier liquid containing the first substance and the carrier liquid containing the second substance by applying an electric field to the carrier liquid;
• and
• a collecting portion configured to collect each of the carrier liquid containing the first substance and the carrier liquid containing the second substance which are separated by said carrier separating device.