Flocculation/Clarification
The flocculation/clarification process is applied when there is a high degree of turbidity in the water or when solids must be separated from liquids. Flocculation/clarification is highly effective at reducing turbidity and removing color, solids and colloidal material from water and wastewater when used together with chemical feed, sludge treatment and filtration of clarified elements.
Four-Step Process
Flocculation/clarification consists of four distinctive processes – coagulation, flash mixing, flocculation, and clarification. The variables that affect how these processes are carried out are water velocity, time, and the pH. Sufficient time and velocity are necessary to maximize the probability that particles will come together. The pH level is an important determinant of how thoroughly colloids are removed.
Coagulation
During the coagulation process, chemical coagulants are added to water to destabilize colloidal and finely divided materials and to cause them to begin aggregating. The most commonly employed metal coagulants fall into two groups – aluminum-based, such as aluminum sulfate, aluminum chloride and sodium aluminate; and iron-based, such as ferric sulfate, ferrous sulfate, ferric chloride and ferric chloride sulfate. Other chemicals sometimes used as coagulants in the water treatment process are magnesium carbonate and hydrated lime, among others. Aluminum and iron coagulants work by forming highly adsorptive multi-charged polynuclear complexes. The pH of the system can be manipulated to control the characteristics of the complexes and their effectiveness.
Flash Mixer
After coagulant chemicals are introduced, the water is mixed quickly and forcefully by the flash mixer so that the chemicals are evenly distributed throughout the water. This step is very important to create the conditions for efficient, effective water treatment. Flash mixing must last at least 30 seconds, or else the chemicals will not be properly distributed, but it typically lasts for less than 60 seconds. When water is flash-mixed for a longer period, the mixer blades will tend to chop or shear the aggregating material back into small particles. Coagulation actual begins during flash mixing as the coagulants neutralize the electrical charge of the fine particles. This stops the repulsion of like-charged particles and allows the particles to begin bonding and forming larger clumps.
Flocculation
After flash mixing, flocculation begins through a slower, gentler mixing that brings the fine particles produced during the coagulation step into contact with each other. The flocculation phase usually goes on for 30-45 minutes in a flocculation basin that may have multiple compartments. Each compartment has a different mixing speed, and these speeds randomly decrease as water flows from the top of the basin to its bottom. This approach allows increasingly large clumps of matter to form without being broken apart by the mixing blades.
The Floc
At the end of the mixing/flocculation process, most of the turbidity and particulate matter in the water should be formed into a material called floc. Floc consists of relatively large clumps of impurities and bacteria bound together in clusters of about 0.1 to 3 mm in size. Smaller floc or larger floc does not settle as well, and a larger floc is more likely to break apart in the flocculation basin.
Clarification
Clarification is the last of the four steps in the process. Clarifiers consist of tanks or basins which hold water or wastewater for a period sufficient to allow the floc and other suspended materials to settle to the bottom. The clarification process makes the water clear by removing all kinds of particles, sediments, oil, natural organic matter and color.
Flocculation
Filtronics offers a packaged system for treatment of surface water with a separate module for each step in the flocculation/clarification process. This packaged system is used along with chemical feed, sludge treatment and filtration equipment and processes for effective water treatment, industrial waste pretreatment, and other applications where the separation of solids from liquids is required. Filtronics clarifiers incorporate our exclusive SuperSlant® design.
Skid Mount System
Filtronics offers packaged, skid-mounted systems for smaller discharge volumes. These provide a safe, one-pass discharge for different types of wastewater, including recycled coolant water or recycled parts washing water.
Advantages of Filtronics Modular Design Surface water or industrial system:
Unique custom design for each application.
Varied size of individual components without compromising quality.
Can be configured several ways to fit a given space – from a narrow, linear arrangement to one that goes around corners or even fits into a square.
The three basic components can be purchased individually or as a complete system.
Engineered to be adaptable to every water and wastewater system.
Greater price performan