Abstract
The autoprecipitation behavior of gibbsite and boehmite in a settler for red mud separation was studied.Gibbsite precipitated on the red mud without boehmite. Boehmite precipitated only when it coexisted with red mud. The precipitation rate of boehmite was much less than that of gibbsite.
Goethite showed the largest seed effect among the minerals contained in red mud on the autoprecipitation of gibbsite. Calcium carbonate suppressed it and that effect increased with decreases of the caustic soda concentration in liquor and the holding temperature.
