Recovery media for mineral processing

An engineered collection medium, comprising

• a solid-phase body configured with a three-dimensional open-cell structure to provide a plurality of collection surfaces;
• and
• a plurality of molecules provided on the collection surfaces, the molecules comprising a functional group having a chemical bond for attracting one or more mineral particles in an aqueous mixture to the molecules, causing the mineral particles to attach to the collection surfaces, wherein the solid phase body comprises a coating or layer configured with a hydrophobic chemical selected from a polysiloxane derivative, and wherein the coating or layer is modified with tackifiers, plasticizers, crosslinking agents, chain transfer agents, chain extenders, adhesion promoters, aryl or alky copolymers, fluorinated copolymers, hexamethyldisilazane, silica or hydrophobic silica, wherein the polysiloxane derivative is poly(dimethylsiloxane).