With the coal tailings from the flotation process of a coking coal preparation plant in Guizhou as the research object, the effects of four kinds of frother including methyl isobutyl methanol (MIBC), sec-octyl alcohol, terpenic oil and n-pentanol on the flotation performance of coal tailings were investigated. The test shows that the flotation indices of MIBC frother were better than those of the other three frothers with the similar dosage. A flotation process consisting of one stage of roughing, one stage of cleaning and one stage of scavenging was adopted to treat the raw coal with the ash content of 56.90%, and with dosages of kerosene and MIBC respectively at 1 000 g/t and 350 g/t, a qualified coking coal with the ash content of 11.47% and the yield of 32.03% can be produced. The results of foaming ability and foam stability measured by inflation method show that the foaming ability and foam stability of terpenic oil are the strongest, while those indices of n-pentanol are relatively weak, and those of MIBC and sec-octyl alcohol moderate. The characterization of the adhesion process between bubbles and coal particles under the action of different frothers analyzed with bubble-particle encapsulation angle and induction time measuring instrument suggests that MIBC can enhance coal-carrying capacity of bubbles, shorten particle-bubble induction time, thus bringing improved flotation effect.