Direct preparation of polysilicic acid flocculant by using pickling waste liquor of metal plate

Abstract In this study, two kind of flocculants with high-performance, poly-silicate-ferrum (PSF) and poly-silicate-titanium-ferrum (PSTF) were prepared by using an industrial pickling waste liquid rich in titanium and iron as the main raw materials. The prepared PSF and PSTF were used to treat synthetic water at different pH values in order to explore the optimal pH range required for turbidity removal. The SEM and IR results of polymeric silicic acid indicate that the Ti and Si ratio can influence the morphology and bonding form of the flocculant. The characteristics of floc particle size, floc particle stability and settling time of the flocculant in the process of water treatment were studied in situ by laser particle size analyzer. The results show that the turbidity of synthetic water treated with PSF and PSTF can be decreased by above 99.86 % under the optimum using conditions (the initial turbidity of the synthetic water is 700 NTU).