Process for precipitation of aluminum hydroxide from aluminate solution

摘要

Aluminate mother liquor is passed countercurrent to the direction of feed of aluminum hydroxide crystals through at least two stages, each of which has a lower turbulent zone with a high suspension density and which is agitated under conditions which assure particle growth via crystal growth and an upper non-turbulent, stagnant liquid layer from which most crystals settle back into the respective lower turbulent zone. The suspension density in the stages is maintained at a constant level by sending crystal suspension from the lower turbulent zone in all the precipitation stages but the first to the preceding stage. Mother liquor is removed from the upper stagnant zone of all stages but the last stage and sent to the respective following stages. Coarse crystal suspension is removed from the turbulent zone of the first stage for separation of the crystals for further processing, while the mother liquor is returned to the system.