DEVELOPMENT OF CIRCULATING FLUIDIZED-BED ADSORBER

A new fludized bed which is divided in a looplike shape by a partition wall has been developed for recovering trace elements from a large quantity of industrial water. The bed, a circulating fluidized bed applicable to a liquid‐solid two‐phase flow, is called a circulating fluidized bed absorber (CFBA). Adsorbent particles are mixed and carried along with water in the CFBA. At the upper part of the bed, the absorbent particles are separated from the water flow and recycled in the bed; the depleted water flows out of a water outlet. The CFBA is operated at two to three times higher velocity than conventional liquid‐solid contacting systems. The pressure drop in the CFBA is in proportion to the amount of adsorbent suspended in the contacting section. Characteristics of the CFBA, including design considerations, are described. Copyright © 1990 American Institute of Chemical Engineers