Aggregation Behaviour of Gibbsite Crystals in Supersaturated Sodium and Potassium Aluminate Liquors

✍ Scribed by Addai-Mensah, Jonas ;Li, Jun ;Prestidge, Clive A.

• Book ID: 102730182
• Publisher: Curtin University of Technology
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 639 KB
• Volume: 10
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0969-1855
• DOI: 10.1002/apj.5500100607

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The aggregation behaviour of colloidal size gibbsite crystals in synthetic supersaturated caustic aluminate liquors has been investigated as a function of solution alkali metal ion type and Al(III) relative supersaturation in crystallization studies. The results indicate that alkali metal ions (Na^+^ versus K^+^) and supersaturation play an influential role in the particle aggregation mechanism. The initial particle aggregation rate is linearly dependent upon Al(III) relative supersaturation, and is significantly greater in Na^+^ rather than in K^+^ based suspensions. The study demonstrates that the initial orthokinetic aggregation and subsequent cementation both lead to faster agglomeration in sodium than in potassium aluminate liquors