SETTLING AND FILTRATION CHARACTERISTICS OF FINE ALUMINA-TRIHYDRATE SLURRY

The paper presents some aspects of settling and filtration of very fin e alumina trihydrate particles in Na-aluminate-caustic liquor. The wor k carried out on laboratory scale shows that flocculation can be effec tively used for improving the settling behaviour. The effect of additi ve, solids concentration, pressure, etc., on filtration characteristic s of trihydrate slurry is also investigated. Application of laboratory scale tests for design and scale up of filtration operation are studi ed. A concept of an average specific cake resistance term developed fr om pressure and concentration parameters is proposed to be considered for filtration rate calculations.