THE SEPARATION OF FINE, HIGH-DENSITY PARTICLES FROM A LOW-DENSITY SOIL MATRIX USING A HYDROCYCLONE

Tests were carried out to examine the performance of a 25 mm diameter hydrocyclone for separating fine (- 150 mu m) particles. Mixtures of f ine quartz and magnetite or Ferrosilicon of similar size ranges were u sed to represent low density (e.g., soil) and high density (e.g., heav y metal contaminant) particles, respectively, as might be encountered in a waste remediation or recycling process. Separations were made usi ng various cyclone geometries (e.g., cone angles, discharge openings) and operating conditions (e.g., solids concentration, flow rate). The products were analyzed for heavy metal content and then sized at 25 mu m to determine the recoveries for both the total and the + 25 mu m fr actions. The results indicated that there was a trade off between the recovery of low and high density components.