We have very little knowledge on the physical properties of the flock formed during the flocculation process, since it is more difficult to handle, both experimentally and theoretically, clay particles with irregular shapes than the spherical particles of monodispersion. In this study, the flocculation velocity of a kaolinite suspension was measured in a wide region, from the salt level at which flocculation begins to high salt concentration, and we used these data to examine how the porosity and size of the flock depend on the cohesion. The results were as follows.
In the slow flocculation region of salt level of 0.03mol/l or less, both the diameter and the porosity of the flock increased as repulsive force decreased. However, when the salt level exceeded 0.03mol/l even in the slow speed flocculation region, the flock diameter rapidly decreased, but there was almost no decrease in porosity.
In the rapid flocculation region where only van der Waals forces work, neither flock diameter nor porosity was dependent on the salt concentration.
The above results showed that the simple change in which the kaolinite flock becomes greater and denser did not occur here as the cohesion became stronger.
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