Wash circuit

In the United States boric acid is produced by United States Borax Chemical Corp. in a 103,000 2 3 ric ton per year plant by reacting cmshed kernite ore with sulfuric acid. Coarse gangue is removed in rake classifiers and fine gangue is removed in thickeners. Boric acid is crystallised from strong hquor, nearly saturated in sodium sulfate, in continuous evaporative crystallizers, and the crystals are washed in a multistage countercurrent wash circuit. 

SOLVENTS Liquids that dissolve other substances. Chemical solvents are used widely in industry e.g. by pharmaceutical makers to extract active substances by electronics manufacturers to wash circuit boards by paint makers to aid drying. Solvents can cause air and water pollution and some can be responsible for ozone depletion. 

The aqueous caustic recovered from the first coim-tercurrent washing circuit is limed to remove the coal-derived mineral matter, sulfur compounds, and carbonates. The mixture is provided with sufficient residence time to permit precipitation of the impurities before being centrifuged. The purified hquid is preheated and sent to a caustic evaporator where the water is recovered for recycle to the first wash train, while producing anhydrous caustic (as either a molten liquid or as flakes) for reuse in the initial leaching of the coal. 

Modifications are in progress for the treatment of the cements from both purification steps. The hot purification cement treatment will be modified to include a semi-continuous double acid wash, for the extraction of zinc and cadmium, followed by an alkaline wash, for the extraction and recycle of arsenic. For the cold precipitation cement, a semi-continuous single acid wash will be included. The objective is to increase the global zinc recovery by 0.3%, to decrease the arsenic trioxide consumption by 75%, and therefore, improve the quality of the copper cement. The cold purification cement treatment area will undergo an equipment redistribution because two reactors previously used for leaching the cement were refinbished and assigned to the jarosite acid wash circuit. 

Another soiled solvent tank is connected to the wash circuit and supplies the solvent for... 

The product stream from the kilns is collected in storage bins. Black ash from the bins is fine-ground in a ball mill and fed to a leacher circuit, which is a system of stirred tanks, where it is dissolved in water and the muds are separated by countercurrent decantation. The solution from the decantation is passed through filter presses the muds are washed, centrifuged, and discarded. The filtered product, a saturated solution containing 12—13 wt % strontium sulfide, is sent to an agitation tank where soda ash is added to cause precipitation of strontium carbonate crystals ... 

The mother Hquor from the cmde ferrous sulfate crystallisation contains neady all the chromium. It is clarified and aged with agitation at 30°C for a considerable period to reverse the reactions of the conditioning step. Hydrolysis reactions are being reversed therefore, the pH increases. Also, sulfate ions are released from complexes and the chromium is converted largely to the hexaaquo ion. Ammonium chrome alum then precipitates as a fine crystal slurry. It is filtered and washed and the filtrate sent to the leach circuit the chrome alum is dissolved in hot water, and the solution is used as cell feed. 

Control philosophies applied to continuous countercurrent decantation (CCD) thick eners are similar to those used for thickeners in other applications, but have emphasis on maintaining the CCD circuit in balance. It is important to prevent any one of the thickeners from pumping out too fast, otherwise an upstream unit could be stai ved of wash liquor while at the same too much underflow could be placed in a downstream unit too quickly, disrupting the operation of both units as well as reducing the circuit washing efficiency. Several control configurations have Been attempted, and the more successful schemes... 

Equipment The equipment selected for CCD circuits may consist of multiple-compartment washing-tray thickeners or a train of... 

Gives very clean sands and has relatively low hydraulic water requirements (0.5 t/t underflow). One of the most efficient single-stage classifiers available for closed circuit grinding and washing. Relatively expensive. 

Hydraulic cylindrical tank classifier Om tp (M-F) Hydraulic form of overloaded thickener. Siphon-Sizer (N-F) uses siphon to discharge underflow instead of rotating rake. 1.0 to 40 1.4 mm to 45 im (25 mm) 1 to 150 Not critical 0.4 to 15 20 to 35 0.75 to 11 Two-product device giving very clean underflow. Requires relatively little hydraulic water (2 t/t solids feed). Used for washing, desliming, and closed circuit grinding. 

The etched printed circuit boards are washed out with water to dilute the concentration of the contaminants on the board surface to an acceptable level. The extraction of copper from the effluent rinse water is essential for both environmental and economic reasons since decontaminated water is returned to the rinse vessel. 

Make no excuse for checking whether the sun shines on the thermostats or someone has washed the floor. Another common occurrence is that while the room is not being controlled as specified, the plant appears to be operating correctly. Here a series of simultaneous readings of air flows and wet and dry bulb temperatures should be taken around the whole of the air circuit - on and off coil, condition after fan, condition at inlet grilles, etc. Referring these to a psychrometric chart will usually indicate where the fault or leak lies. 

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