Provided are a mixture separation method and a separation apparatus in which agglomeration of particles contained in the mixture is suppressed, energy required in distillation treatment of a supporting liquid is small in comparison with conventional methods, and particles that cannot be separated by conventional methods can be separated from a mixture containing the particles. The separation method and separation apparatus of the present invention separate, by type, a plurality of types of particles formed of mutually different materials by applying a magnetic field having a magnetic field gradient to the mixture containing the plurality of types of particles in the supporting liquid. Alternatively, the separation method and separation apparatus of the present invention separate a specific type of particle from such mixture. The supporting liquid is an organic solvent solution obtained by dissolving one or more types of paramagnetic compounds in an organic solvent. The plurality of types of particles includes particles of an inorganic salt, an organic acid salt, an inorganic oxide or a macromolecular compound. The organic solvent may be selected from the group consisting of alcohols, ethers, nitriles, ketones, esters, amides, sulfoxides, halomethanes and hydrocarbon solvents.