Flocculation studies on non-coking coal fines using suitable reagents

Presently, in India about 120 million tonnes of non coking coals are being washed annually to cater the needs of various user industries. The coal washeries generate coal fines about 10 to 15% of the feed coal and these fines create various problems like settling in thickeners, water pollution, etc. The non-coking coal fines are normally not beneficiated and these are recovered by thickening with the help of flocculants of different trade names to achieve clarified water for recycle/reuse. There is lack of systematic studies on the effect of flocculants, its types and dosages etc, on settling rate, turbidity etc. Attempts have been made in the present paper to highlight these effects of flocculants on the sedimentation rate etc.