Crystallization of aluminium hydroxide from the reactive NaAl(OH)4–NaHCO3 solution: Experiment and modeling

The crystallization kinetics of aluminium hydroxide from the sodium aluminate solution reacted with sodium bicarbonate were systematically investigated in a steady-state MSMPR (mixed-suspension mixed-product removal) crystallizer for the first time, and the expressions of the nucleation rate, growth rate and the agglomeration kernel of aluminium hydroxide were successfully regressed. The aluminium hydroxide particles precipitated from the reactive system are identified as gibbsite by XRD and SEM examinations. The volume growth rate order of gibbsite with respect to the relative supersaturation of the solution is above the linear growth rate order, and the spiral growth mechanism for the growth of the basal face of gibbsite in the reactive system was further identified by the growth rate, morphology analysis as well as the calculated surface entropy factor. The secondary nucleation rate of gibbsite from the reactive system is three to four orders of magnitude larger than that from seeded process reported in the only available literature reference. The agglomeration kernel of gibbsite in the reactive system increases linearly with growth rate and residence time, and the positive order about 0.55 of magma density is thoroughly different from the negative order of magma density for gibbsite agglomeration in seeded process presented in the literature.