Batch filtration studies of fine calcites

Abstract

Cake filtration is mainly used as a solid-liquid separation unit operation in the mineral industry. It is used to recover or to remove a maximum possible quantity of liquid from the thickened slurries and to produce a cake at the upstream side of a filter media under an applied pressure difference. The characteristics of the cake structure are the key factors which influence filtration process and its results. This research study is intended to investigate the batch filtration parameters of fine calcite samples from Brandenburg using a pressure filter machine. The filtration parameters were optimised according to the filtration time, the cake thickness, the filtrate density and the humidity loss ratio against change in filtration pressure. The shortest filtration time was determined as t = 206 s under gamma = 500 g l(-1) suspension concentration and Delta p = 3.5 bar filtration pressure. The cake thickness was found to be h = 7.92 mm. under gamma = 500 g l(-1) suspension concentration and Delta p = 0.8 bar filtration pressure. The highest humidity loss mass fraction measured as w = 21.38 % under gamma = 250 g l(-1) suspension concentration and Delta p = 0.8 bar filtration pressure. The lowest filtrate density was measured as rho = 0.995666 g ml(-1) under 500 g l(-1) suspension concentration and Delta p = 3.5 bar as a filtration pressure.