Effects Of Particle Properties On Filtration Of Aqueous Suspensions

The effects of particle properties and dispersion on the filtration behavior of magnesiumhydroxide, silica, and polystyrene suspensions in aqueous media were examined. It was found that effective separation of particles can be achieved using filter media with larger pore diameters than the size of the particles. The addition of electrolytes, at concentrations lower than the critical coagulation concentration, to suspensions of polystyrene or silica resulted in an increase of the cake resistance. This result was interpreted in terms of a decrease in the effective particle size due to the increase in ionic strength. For magnesium hydroxide, an increase in the absolute value of the surface charge was associated with an increase in cake resistance and a decrease in cake compressibility. Low cake resistance values were obtained with suspensions of large particles with low surface charge and blocky morphology.