Compressible materials filtration

Analysis of the filtration of a compressible material is treated in Example 11.4. 

Filtration and Wtishing of a Compressible Material A kaolin sluny has the properties... 

F.M. Tiller and T.C. Green, The role of porosity in Filtration IX Skin effect with highly compressible materials. AIChE, 7 (1973) 1266-1269. 

Filter aids should have low bulk density to minimize settling and aid good distribution on a filter-medium surface that may not be horizontal. They should also be porous and capable of forming a porous cake to minimize flow resistance, and they must be chemically inert to the filtrate. These characteristics are all found in the two most popular commercial filter aids diatomaceous silica (also called diatomite, or diatomaceous earth), which is an almost pure silica prepared from deposits of diatom skeletons and expanded perhte, particles of puffed lava that are principally aluminum alkali siheate. Cellulosic fibers (ground wood pulp) are sometimes used when siliceous materials cannot be used but are much more compressible. The use of other less effective aids (e.g., carbon and gypsum) may be justified in special cases. Sometimes a combination or carbon and diatomaceous silica permits adsorption in addition to filter-aid performance. Various other materials, such as salt, fine sand, starch, and precipitated calcium carbonate, are employed in specific industries where they represent either waste material or inexpensive alternatives to conventional filter aids. 

Filter aids as well as flocculants are employed to improve the filtration characteristics of hard-to-filter suspensions. A filter aid is a finely divided solid material, consisting of hard, strong particles that are, en masse, incompressible. The most common filter aids are applied as an admix to the suspension. These include diatomaceous earth, expanded perlite, Solkafloc, fly ash, or carbon. Filter aids build up a porous, permeable, and rigid lattice structure that retains solid particles and allows the liquid to pass through. These materials are applied in small quantities in clarification or in cases where compressible solids have the potential to foul the filter medium. 

Filter aids may be applied in one of two ways. The first method involves the use of a precoat filter aid, which can be applied as a thin layer over the filter before the suspension is pumped to the apparatus. A precoat prevents fine suspension particles from becoming so entangled in the filter medium that its resistance becomes exces-sive. In addition it facilitates the removal of filter cake at the end of the filtration cycle. The second application method involves incorporation of a certain amount of the material with the suspension before introducing it to the filter. The addition of filter aids increases the porosity of the sludge, decreases its compressibility, and reduces the resistance of the cake. In some cases the filter aid displays an adsorption action, which results in particle separation of sizes down to 0.1 /i. The adsorption ability of certain filter aids, such as bleached earth and activated charcoals, is manifest by a decoloring of the suspension s liquid phase. This practice is widely used for treating fats and oils. The properties of these additives are determined by the characteristics... 

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