Dicacel Cellulose
Dicalite is the exclusive agent for Dicacel cellulose filter aids in Europe. Dicacel filter aids are used where fibres are essential or the chemistry demands cellulose.
In the production of cellulose filter aids, the pulp is thoroughly purified, then it is specially processed to give good filtration characteristics in a wide range of grades. It is essentially pure cellulose, practically ashless and non-abrasive.
Dicacel cellulose filter aids are widely used in filtering plating solutions and chemicals where soluble silica is undesirable. The purity and combustibility of Dicacel offers a distinct advantage in recovering catalysts by filtration. The same advantage holds in metallurgical filtration for recovering rare metals. Dicacel cellulose filter aids are extensively used for filtration of steam condensate from boiler operations.
In most cases, cellulose is used as a precoat on the filter septum for fixed bed filtration. It creates a porous mat or paperlike layer on the filter screen or cloth. The fibres bond together providing a fairly rigid medium. The fibres readily bridge even the coarser septum openings to build up a precoat in a minimum of time. Such a precoat will not crack under usual pressure changes; will plug small leaks in the filter septum; and will often remain on the septum when the pump is stopped. Dicalite perlite and diatomite filter aids may be applied over the first Dicacel precoat or mixed directly with diatomite.
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| cellulose content | +99% (atro) |
| alfa-cellulose content | +89 % |
| ash content | max. 0.3 % |
| ether extract | max. 0.1 % |
| pH | 5.5 – 6.5 |
| approximate moisture | 5 – 8 % |
| iron | 40 – 50 ppm |
| copper | max. 10 ppm |
| Property | Dicacel 1 | Dicacel 2 | Dicacel 4 | Dicacel 10 | Dicacel 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brightness (ISO) | +90% | +90% | +90% | +90% | +90% |
| Permeability (darcies) | 7.6-8.3 | 5.5-7.5 | 1.8-2.7 | 1.0-1.9 | 0.4-0.9 |
| Non compr. bulk density (g/l) | 30-50 | 110-150 | 150-185 | 180-210 | |
| Dry compr. bulk density (ml/50g) | 400-500 | 350-400 | 240-270 | 130-150 | 150 |
| Mesh | Dicacel 1 | Dicacel 2 | Dicacel 4 | Dicacel 10 | Dicacel 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| on 40 mesh | 5-15 | 1-5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| thru 100 mesh | 35-50 | 50-65 | 90-100 | 95-100 | 100 |
| thru 200 mesh | 10-20 | 15-25 | 40-50 | 85-95 | 97 |
(*) ASTM E 11 – 70, on RO-TAP