Particle size distribution separation methods

The separation of solids from liquids forms an important part of almost all front-end and back-end operations in hydrometallurgy. This is due to several reasons, including removal of the gangue or unleached fraction from the leached liquor the need for clarified liquors for ion exchange, solvent extraction, precipitation or other appropriate processing and the post-precipitation or post-crystallization recovery of valuable solids. Solid-liquid separation is influenced by many factors such as the concentration of the suspended solids the particle size distribution the composition the strength and clarity of the leach liquor and the methods of precipitation used. Some important points of the common methods of solid-liquid separation have been dealt with in Chapter 2. 

Silica stationary phases display some ion exchange properties, which may also influence the separation characteristics of silica. One of the main disadvantages of the use of silica and silica-based stationary phases is their instability even at slightly alkaline pH, such as 8.0. HPLC stationary phases can be characterized with the average particle diameter and the distribution of particle size. Smaller average diameter and narrow particle size distribution generally enhances the efficacy of separation. The average particle diameter can be calculated with different methods ... 

Spray pyrolysis routes have been extensively investigated to prepare Pt-based catalysts. Typically, a liquid feed of metal precursor and carbon is atomized into an aerosol and fed into a continuous furnace to evaporate and heat-treat to form a collectable powder. The method has good control over final aggregate particle size and metal particle size distributions, as well as producing powder without further isolation or separation. Hampton-Smith et al. have reviewed efforts of Superior MicroPowder (now Cabot Fuel Cells) in this area. ... 

Very small amounts of certain sized particles (generally, but not always, on the high side) can be particularly important in some applications. The presence of these is not always detected by the standard sizing methods or apparent from a particle size distribution, even where a top and bottom size is given. The presence of such particles is often measured and quoted separately using a technique most suited to the application in hand. Phrases such as less than 0.05% w/w above 50 micron are frequently met with in specifications. 

An ICI-Joyce Loebl Disc Centrifuge MK III, a photosedimento-meter, was used to measure the latex particle size distribution. The latex had a unimodal particle size distribution with a diameter of 1.05 micrometers (surface area average). The methods of separating latex particles by a centrifugal field and detecting the size distribution by a photocell may be found in the literature. 

The simplicity of operation of the EGM and Its accuracy are best seen by comparing particle size distribution curves by the EGM and the BLS method and comparing data obtained from both methods. Figure 1 shows the separation of three latex standards by the BLS method. Twenty ml of water was used as spin fluid and 1 ml of 50% (V/V) methanol as a density buffer. A 0.25 ml sample of dilute latex (10... 

The range of the (molecular) size of the analytes usually exceeds that which can be determined by classical laboratory analytical methods such as size exclusion chromatography, etc. [351]. Reports on investigated substances are widespread and cover applications such as the separation and characterization of proteins [450] and enzymes [240, 241], of viruses [132], the separation of human and animal cells [50, 51], the isolation of plasmid DNA [367], and the molecular weight and particle size distribution of polymers [216,217]. The approach is relatively new in biotechnology therefore, practical experiences are not yet abundant. Langwost et al. [229] have provided a comprehensive survey of various applications in bio-monitoring. 

This chapter has described the various techniques of ceramic powder characterization. These characteristics include particle shape, surface area, pore size distribution, powder density and size distribution. Statistical methods to evaluate sampling and analysis error were presented as well as statistical methods to compare particle size distributions. Chemical analytical characterization although veiy important was not discussed. Surface chemical characterization is discussed separately in a later chapter. With these powder characterization techniques discussed, we can now move to methods of powder preparation, each of which 3uelds different powder characteristics. 

This is an effective and relatively simple method for characterizing silica sols and other colloids [75]. It has also been used to determine the particle size distributions of polymer lattices [76,77]. Separations are performed in a column packed with particles having pores substantially of the same size. A carrier liquid is passed through the column as a mixture of colloidal particles passes through the bed, the larger ones exit first since they are too large to sample the pore volume. Intermediate sized colloids enter the pores and are retained according to the volume that can be... 

The textural properties of a fat are influenced by all levels of structure, particularly microstructure. The microstmcture includes the spatial distribution of mass, particle size, interparticle separation distance, particle shape, and interparticle interaction forces (49-51). Methods that can be used for the characterization of microstructure in fat systems include, among others, small deformation rheology and polarized light microscopy, employing a fractal approach (49-51). 

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