A STUDY ON THE REMOVAL OF FINE PARTICLES BY LIQUID FLUIDIZED-BEDS

The removal of finely divided (5μ) particles of alumina and silica utilizing liquid fluidized beds has been studied. The bed particles used to recover the fines were 48 × 100 mesh quartz and corundum contained in fluidization columns of 4.0 and 7.5 cm diameter. The effect of various parameters, bed weight, fluidization time and surface charge on the efficiency of the recovery of fines is presented. The recovery of alumina fines was possible on silica beds as well as corundum bed particles due to electrostatic and van der Waals attractive forces. Fine particle recovery was directly proportional to the total surface area of bed particles. Bed particles were regenerated with the aid of distilled water of 6% hydrochloric acid, and their practical applications are discussed. The effect of tap water on the efficiency of fine particle recovery is also presented. © 1990.