I had good results using citric acid or diammonium citrate (DAC, https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Microstop#section=Top) for alkaline alumina suspensions. In both cases, the amount to be added to the systems can be calculated using 0.20-0.25 mg of citric acid or ammonium citrate per square meter of specific surface area of alumina.