Activated Alumina (Al2O3) is the solid form of aluminum oxide. With a large surface area and multiple pores, activated Alumina makes for an excellent adsorbent, desiccant and filter; additionally it can also help remove fluoride, arsenic and selenium from drinking water supplies.
Begun as an aluminum hydroxide (gibbsite or boehmite), it undergoes transformation via the Bayer process into alumina through various means – including agglomeration.
It is a good adsorbent
Activated alumina is an ideal material choice for numerous applications due to its excellent adsorption ability. This property stems from its large surface area and numerous pores which capture impurities and moisture, while it can selectively absorb specific molecules; making it particularly suitable for air separation, natural gas refining and industrial drying processes.
Additionally, this material is frequently employed as a desiccant in the pharmaceutical industry, with particular success at absorbing contaminants like chlorine vapors, acetone, and alcohol quickly to reduce production costs and avoid contamination issues.
The market for activated alumina is projected to experience significant growth over the coming years due to rising water treatment demand and investment by governments worldwide in improving drinking water quality while decreasing pollution levels. Due to its superior performance and cost effectiveness, activated alumina is becoming an increasingly popular solution for treating water.
Manufacturing activated alumina involves calcination, the thermal treatment of bauxite or natural aluminum oxide to remove water molecules from its surface, creating an alumina resistant to attrition with more porous structure than silica gel alumina is then processed into activated alumina with the ability to adsorb various chemicals such as arsenic and fluoride.
It is a good desiccant
Activated alumina is an effective and versatile desiccant used to control moisture in various industrial processes. With its large surface area and numerous pores, activated alumina makes an excellent desiccant in environments where humidity poses a challenge to operations. さらに, this material is both physically and chemically stable; making it suitable as support material for catalysts in oil refining and petrochemical production which speed reactions while increasing their efficiency and stability.
Filters are commonly employed in chromatographic separation techniques to remove impurities and contaminants from liquids, such as water. Their high adsorption capacity makes them suitable for applications where air quality is an essential consideration, such as heating and ventilation systems; their capacity absorbs volatile organic compounds as well as harmful gases to improve indoor air quality while decreasing health risks.
Activated alumina offers comparable adsorption capabilities to silica gel, yet is capable of handling a wider variety of liquids and gases, making it suitable for many industrial applications, including compressed air drying, natural gas dehydration and solvent drying in chemical manufacturing. さらに, activated alumina has the power to prevent corrosion in oil and gas pipelines by extracting moisture from hydrocarbon fluids and gases containing moisture – such as compressed air drying.
It is a good catalyst
Activated alumina is an aluminium oxide material commonly used for adsorption, dehydration, filtration and catalyst support applications. Composed of microscopic pores designed to absorb contaminants from liquids and gases, activated alumina is an ideal material to use for these functions as it has the ability to attract many types of impurities in liquids and gases alike. Plus its large surface area enables it to attract even more molecules in its immediate environment for adsorption purposes.
Current industrialization and infrastructure developments across Asia Pacific are driving rapid increases in demand for activated alumina in water purification and gas drying applications, necessitating its use to produce high-purity gases for which activated alumina’s adsorption properties are essential. さらに, strict environmental regulations necessitate their implementation within industries like manufacturing and electronics for improved product quality and meeting safety standards.
Consumption or inhalation of alumina particles can cause serious eye and respiratory system irritation, so to protect ourselves against such side effects it is crucial to wear proper PPE when handling this material, such as safety goggles/face shields, chemical-resistant gloves and a dust mask or respirator.
DI-tech Activated Alumina is not considered hazardous by WHMIS and can be easily field regenerated using dilute solutions of NaOH to strip arsenic, fluoride and sulfur from its media before being rinsed with feed water for final rinsing. Once regenerated it can then be used in Claus Catalyst process to convert hydrogen sulfide to elemental sulfur and help mitigate harmful emissions.
It is a good filter
Activated alumina is made up of spherical aluminum oxide particles with an extremely large surface area and high capacity for absorption, making it a great filtering material in various applications. Fluoride and arsenic contaminants from drinking water are easily removed with this desiccant filter, while its desiccants reduce humidity in the air effectively. Produced naturally from minerals such as corundum (natural aluminum oxide), emery, ruby, sapphire or mixed mineral bauxite production sources or mixed mineral bauxite production methods.
Pre-conditioning raw activated alumina with salt regenerated strong base anion (SBA) resin typically increases fluoride and arsenic removal while simultaneously decreasing pH, bicarbonate alkalinity, pressure drop, backwashing requirements and overall backwash frequency. This significantly enhances its performance in fluoride removal while keeping pressure drop to an absolute minimum and backwashing requirements to a minimum.
SBA resin also helps protect alumina against contamination from microbiological sources, acting as an effective bactericide and eliminating biofilm that forms on it. This is crucial as microbes can pollute final product. Regular regeneration with appropriate chemicals helps ensure proper operation as it also inhibits release of cations/anions from alumina into process water, in optimal circumstances not exceeding 200 microg/l release rate of aluminium ions from an alumina bed.