The selective aggregation and separation of titania from a mixed suspension of silica and titania

Abstract

The separation of fine-grained titania from silica is an important industrial problem as the demand for titania continues. In this study we demonstrate how high-purity, synthetic, micron and sub-micron silica and titania particles may be separated by selective aggregation from an aqueous suspension. Specific electrolyte concentration and suspension pH were chosen through a colloid stability analysis. High-efficiency (up to 99.6 wt.%) separation of titania from a mixed silica–titania suspension (50% : 50%) was achieved over a wide range of solid concentrations (0.03–2 wt.%) with an electrolyte concentration of 20 mM at pH 8. Analysis of the data revealed that separation efficiency improved as the solid concentration increased. The latter behaviour was attributed to a transition from ‘free’ to hindered settling of the flocs, which impacted on the entrapment of silica particles within titania flocs.