Twelve different types of fluorine adsorbents based on alumina granules were produced following two processing routes. The first route consisted on the precipitation of aluminum hydroxide by sol-gel technique followed by microsphere production by internal and external gelation. Aluminum nitrite was used as raw material. The second route consisted on the mechanical micro pelletization of aluminum hydroxide produced by the Bayer process, and bauxite. Microspheres and micropellets were heat treated at different conditions and their fluorine adsorption performance was evaluated. Kinetic parameters and fluorine charge determined for those adsorbents were better than the ones reported in the literature for alumina based fluorine adsorbents. Micropellet adsorbents showed similar properties when compared to the ones produced by the sol-gel technique. Alumina microspheres produced by internal gelation followed by calcination at 550 ºC showed the highest fluorine adsorption (100 h-1). Alumina microspheres containing active coal were also produced and showed relatively high fluorine adsorption (88 h-1). Alumina micropellets calcined at 400 ºC showed the highest ratio of adsorbed fluorine per ton of adsorbent (27855).
Alumina; fluorine; adsorption; microspheres; micropellets
