Group Members

 Muhammad Shakaib
 Saqib Sabir
 Muhammad Hamza
 Mubeen Zafar
 Mahad Wahaj
 Bilal Zahid
 Muhammad Imran
Coagulation &
Flocculation
(GROUP 1)
What is Coagulation & Flocculation

 Coagulation-flocculation is a chemical water treatment technique

applied prior to sedimentation and filtration.
 It is just to increase the efficiency of treatment process.
 It is used to remove any charged particles, neutral particles or dust
particles from water.
 Input Output
(FRESH WATER) (TREATED WATER)
Why Treatment of Water Needed

 Dissolved and suspended particles are present in most of natural

waters.
 Suspended materials mostly arise from land erosion.
 Dissolution of minerals and the decay of vegetation and from several
domestic and industrial waste discharges.
 This material has to be removed, as it causes deterioration of water
quality by reducing the clarity.
 These particles contains pathogenic organisms or toxic compounds.
Typical colloidal characteristics for
water and wastewater:
• Size range: 10-3- 1 micron. (somewhere in the range between a
molecule and bacteria in size).
• 50 – 70 % of the organic matter in domestic wastewater is
composed of colloidal matter.
• In water treatment color, turbidity, viruses, bacteria, algae and
organic matter are primarily either in the colloidal form or behave as
colloids.
Graphical view of characteristics for
particulates in water and wastewater.
Separation of Dissolved or Suspended
Particles
 To separate the dissolved and suspended particles from the water
coagulation and flocculation processes are used.
 Coagulation and flocculation is relatively simple
 It is cost-effective.
 provided that chemicals are available and dosage is adapted to the
water composition.
Implementation of Coagulation and
Flocculation Process
 Coagulation and Flocculation is regardless of the nature of treated
water and overall applied treatment scheme.
 This process can be done either in
 Pre-treatment Step (filtration).
 Post Treatment Step (Sedimentation).

Pre-
Process Post-treatment
treatment
Nature of Particles
 Particles present in water mostly contains
negative charge on them.
 Due to the negative charge they repel
each other.
 Due to the repulsion they stay in suspended
form.
 Coagulation and flocculation are helpful in
the removal of repulsion force and creating
force of attraction among them so they can
form floc and can be separated easily by
flocculation.
Coagulation

 Coagulation help us to destabilize the charge of particles.

 The particles present in water may or may not contain charges.
 The Particles which contains charge are mixed with coagulant of
opposite charge.
 As a result the particles are neutralized.
Coagulation Process

 Coagulation is done by addition of coagulant of opposite charge.

 This process neutralize the particles and a force of attraction
develops between them.
 Due to the attractive force floc develops.
 The floc formed are known as micro floc.
 To increase the size of floc rapid is mixing is being done.
 The higher the mixing time, the more will be the coagulation.
Coagulation Chemistry
Mechanism 1
 Alum [Al2(SO4)3nH2O] and ferric chloride (FeCl3) dissociate to
release highly charged ions.
 Al2(SO4)3nH2O 2 Al3+ + 3 SO42- + nH2O

 FeCl3 Fe3+ + 3 Cl-

 These ions tend to bind either directly to particle surfaces (adsorb) or

to NOM on those surfaces. Either way, they reduce the negative
charge associated with the particles and reduce repulsion. Ideally,
the charge is brought to near zero, and repulsion is almost
eliminated.
Mechanism 2

 At higher concentrations and pH, solids can precipitate and

enmesh the colloids in a “sweep floc”.

 Al3+ + 3 OH-  Al(OH)3(s)

 Fe3+ + 3 OH-  Fe(OH)3(s)
Mechanism 3

 Polymers can induce coagulation by “bridging” between particles

Flocculation

 Flocculation is done after coagulation.

 Micro flocs are brought into contact with each other.
 Then the bigger flocs are separate easily by filtration.
Flocculation Process

 Flocculation is done by gentle mixing.

 By slow mixing the small particles come close to each other to
produce larger visible flocs.
 Sometime high molecular weight polymers are also added known
as coagulant aids.
 They help in binding and strengthen the floc and increase settling
rate.
 Once the floc is generated then the water can be separated by
sedimentation.
Coagulants

 Aluminium Sulphate
 Aluminium Chloride
 Poly aluminium Chloride
 Sodium Aluminate
 Ferric Sulphate
 Ferrous Sulphate
 Chlorinated Cuppuras
 Ferric Chloride
Dissolved Substances in Water

Some examples of substances dissolved in water are given below.

 Calcium Bicarbonate
 Sodium Bicarbonate
 Sodium Carbonate
 Sodium Hydroxide
 Calcium Hydroxide
Coagulation Flocculation
Separation

 The Coagulation-Flocculation process consists of the following steps:

 The use of chemical reagents to destabilize and increase the size of
the particles; mixing; increasing of floc size.
 A physical separation of the solids from the liquid phase. This
separation is usually achieved by sedimentation or filtration.
Conventional Surface Water
Treatment for Drinking Water
Advantages

 Simplicity and cost-effectiveness

 Separates many kind of particles from water
 Enhances filtration process
 Uses abundant and low cost chemicals
Disadvantages

 Input of chemicals required

 Qualified personnel required for design (e.g. construction of
chambers and dosage of chemicals) and system maintenance
 Transfer of toxic compounds into solid phase and formation of
sludge that has to be treated subsequently
 Relatively time consuming process
Jar Test

 Introduction
 Precipitation is the chemical conversion of soluble substances (including
metals) into insoluble particles. Coagulation and flocculation causes a
chemical reaction that promotes the formation, agglomeration or
clumping of such particles to facilitate their removal from solution.
 Pre-Procedure Instruction
 Untreated process wastewaters may contain ingredients other that
dissolved metals that will affect the treatment methodology. Therefore,
the procedure which follows provides a starting point and adjustments
may be required to achieve the desired results.
Required Parameters

 The solution pH.

 The chemical used to adjust the pH (i.e. NaOH, lime, Mg(OH)2,
Na2CO3).
 The different types (and concentrations) of metals present in
solution.
 The amount and types of chelates and complexing agents present
in Solution.
 The amount of residual oxidizers present in solution.
 The coagulants and flocculants used.
 The sequence in which chemicals are added.
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT:

1. pH meter with electrode to monitor pH.

2. ORP meter with electrode to monitor the reduction reaction.
3. 300 ml – 400 ml Beakers, clear plastic or glass.
4. Magnetic Stirrer or equivalent.
5. Eyedroppers for adding chemical reagents.
6. Laboratory Type Filter.
7. Metals Test Kit or AA Spectrophotometer, etc.
CHEMICAL REAGENTS:

1. Sodium-Hydroxide (Caustic-Soda) solution.

2. Sulfuric-Acid solution.
3. Precipitant(s).
4. Coagulant solution(s) – see product bulletin for suggested dilution
ratio.
5. Flocculant solution(s) – see product bulletin for suggested dilution
ratio.
PROCEDURE:

 Pour a sample of untreated wastewater into a beaker (ex 300

ml). While mixing, adjust the pH using caustic soda or sulfuric acid to
the optimum pH for hydroxide precipitation of mixed metals, i.e. pH
8.5.
 While stirring the sample, use an eyedropper to add the precipitant
until the ORP value drops rapidly by 150mV (typically to -250 mV). If
an ORP meter with electrode is not available, use several beakers
and add different amounts of precipitant to each beaker.
 Please note that, although the precipitating reactions appear to be
instantaneous, a retention time of up to 15 minutes may be required
to obtain a complete reaction.
Cont..

 Add 1 or 2 drops of coagulant solution. Mix at high speed for 1 to 3

minutes. Turn off mixer and observe the coagulation
(agglomeration) of the precipitated particles.
 If the particles appear to be coagulating but need assistance to
accelerate their settling, a flocculant may be added to the solution
followed by a slow mixing to allow for floc building.
 If the settling action is too slow or incomplete, redo the test and add
a drop or 2 of an iron or aluminum coagulant before the initial pH
adjustment in #1 above.
 After several minutes a sample of clear supernate may be taken for
metals test, or the entire contents of beaker(s) may be filtered to
remove solids, then the filtrate tested/analyzed.
Observation & Results

 When the supernate has a yellow or orange tint (similar to the color
of the precipitant), that is an indication of overdosing the
precipitant. If necessary, dilute the precipitant before adding it to
the wastewater. Make note of the dilution ratio for determining the
optimum full-scale dosage. Overdosing the precipitant can also
cause a significant increase of colloidal particles and interfere with
the normal coagulation/flocculation reactions.
 To project the dosage results from a jar test to full scale, the
following information may be helpful:
 1 drop = 0.05 ml
 1 drop per liter = 50 mg/l (ppm)
Overview
Suspended particles are destabilized by addition of a clarifying agent
Working Principle leading to the neutralization of their charges. Particles thus
agglomerate (flocs formation) and are able to decant.

Capacity/Adequacy Relatively simple technology

High efficiency in removing charged suspended and dissolved
Performance
particles
Costs Relatively low cost
Self-help Compatibility Skilled operators required
O&M Continuous consumption of chemicals and electricity
Reliable if operating conditions are optimized taking into account
Reliability
wastewater content
Main strength Removes solids and improves filtration
Main weakness Continuous input of chemicals required