Electrostatic beneficiation of diatomaceous earth

In the best operating conditions, the STET technology showed the ability to reduce the calcium carbonate content of a natural-grade DE product from 19.5% to 10.9% which is an acceptable quantity of CaCO3 for calciner feeds. Limitations of the DE recovery process using this technology was primarily due to superficial heterogeneity of some DE particles. The validation process of the beneficiated DE confirmed that the STET technology has the potential for upgrading natural-grade DE products having relatively high quantities of CaCO3 to produce a suitable calciner feed for the production of filter grade finished products with the exception of the brewery industry.