Effects of dosing regimen and agitation profile upon floc characteristics

The efficiency of solid-liquid separation processes that employ flocculation and sedimentation mainly depends upon the characteristics of aggregates produced by coagulation. Size and density are foremost, however, most flocculation processes are designed such that many larger flocs are formed by floc-floc collisions resulting in the entrapment of large amounts of interstitial water. Thus, as particle size increases, flee density generally decreases. Not only does this affect the achievable rate of sedimentation, but it also contributes to the volume of process sludge that must be dewatered prior to ultimate disposal. The objective of the present work is to examine combinations of flocculant dosing and activation along with shear profile or history that can produce flocs of unusually compact structure, thereby increasing the efficiency of separation and reducing the volume of sludge produced. Four types of batch coagulation experiments were conducted, employing both single and intermittent polymer applications as well as periodic episodes of elevated shear to provide more compact constituent hoc structures. A light obscuration method, in which the increase in diode phototube output during sedimentation was used to assess mean aggregate density, was employed throughout the study; it provided a convenient means for comparison of the effects of process modifications upon sedimentation.