TREATMENT OF MINERAL MATERIALS

摘要

A process in which material comprising an aqueous liquid with dispersed particulate solids is pumped as a fluid then allowed to stand and rigidify and the rigidification is improved whilst retaining the pumpability of the material by combining polymeric particles with the material during or prior to pumping the material, wherein the polymeric particles comprise water soluble polymer which has an intrinsic viscosity of at least 3 dl/g. The process of the invention more effectively minimises the area taken up by a stack of the material of given volume whilst maintaining the pumpability of the material. This invention is particularly suited to material that comprises red mud from the Bayer alumina process.