Waste water purification by magnetic separation technique using HTS bulk magnet system

We have investigated the feasibility of strong magnetic field generators composed of the high temperature superconducting (HTS) bulk magnet systems to the magnetic separation techniques for the waste water including thin emulsion bearing the cutting oil. Two types of the strong field generators were prepared by the face-to-face HTS bulk magnet systems, which emit the magnetic field density of 1 and 2 T in the open spaces between the magnetic poles activated by the pulsed field magnetization and the field cooling methods, respectively. A couple of water channels containing iron balls were settled in the strong field to trap the magnetized flocks in the waste water. The separation ratios of flocks containing 200 ppm magnetite powder were evaluated with respect to the flow rates of the waste water. The performances of bulk magnet system have kept showing values of around 100% until the flowing rate reached up to 18 1/min. This suggests that the magnetic separation by using bulk magnets is effective for the practical water purification systems. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.