Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol.44, No.24, 9316-9322, 2005
Solubility of aluminosilicates in kraft green and white liquors
The solubility data were obtained from more than 200 raw green liquor (GL) samples and similar to 30 raw white liquor (WL) samples at 95 degrees C. The effects of time, as well as the concentrations of AlCl(3)center dot 6H(2)O, Na(2)SiO(3)center dot 9H(2)O, CaO, TiO2, MgSO(4)center dot 7H(2)O, 4MgCO(3)center dot Mg(OH)(2)center dot 4H(2)O, powdered magnesium metal, KCl, K2CO3, and stainless steel coupons on the solubilities of silicon and aluminum in unclarified mill GL were investigated. A series of runs was performed to compare silicon and aluminum solubilities in GL with those in WL. The addition of magnesium sulfate to GL solutions expedited the formation of Al-Si precipitates. Pitzer's theory was applied to these solubility data, and equilibrium constants were determined for possible aluminosilicate precipitates, ranging from log K = 34.2 for the formation of hydroxyl sodalite (which has the formula (NaAlSiO4)center dot 2(NaOH)center dot 2H(2)O) to log K = 39.0 for the formation of natrodavyne (which has the formula (NaAlSiO4)center dot(K2SO4)center dot 3H(2)O).