L-17

Coagulation and Flocculation

Part-I

Environmental
Engineering-I
Content
Part-I
•Coagulation, Types of
Coagulant, Part-II
• dosing, rapid mixing, Flocculation-
design parameters.
 Purpose
• The primary purpose of the
coagulation/flocculation process
is the removal of turbidity from
the water.
• Turbidity is a cloudy appearance of
water caused by small particles
suspended therein. Water with little
or no turbidity will be clear.
• Water with a high turbidity can
be very difficult to properly
 Why coagulation and
flocculation?
Various sizes of particles in raw
water
Particle diameter (mm) Type Settling

sett
10
velocity Pebble 0.73 m/s
1 Course 0.23 m/s
sand

GravIty
0.1 0.6 m/min
0.01 Fine 8.6 m/d

lIng
0.0001 (10 sand Silt 0.3 m/y
micron) Large colloids 3 m/million
0.000001 (1 Small y
Colloids
nano) – so small: gravity settling not
possible colloids
Coagulant aided sedimentation required
to remove following impurities
1. Miscellaneous fragments of
animal and vegetable matter
2. plankton mainly phytoplankton.
3. Finely divided colloidal matter and
clay.
4. Organic colouring matter partly in
solution and partly in colloidal form.
5. Bacteria and viruses in small extent
6. Complex mixture of organic
compounds
 Coagulation-Flocculation
• In conventional coagulation-
flocculation- sedimentation, a
coagulant is added to the source
water to create an attraction among
the suspended particles.
• The mixture is slowly stirred to induce
particles to clump together into “flocs.”
• The water is then moved into a
quiet sedimentation basin to
settle out the solids.
• In the flash mixer, coagulant chemicals
are added to the water and the water
is mixed quickly and violently.
• The purpose of flash mixing is to evenly
distribute the chemicals through the water.
• Flash mixing typically lasts a minute or
less. If the water is mixed for less than
thirty seconds, then the chemicals will
not be properly mixed into the water.
• However, if the water is mixed for
more than sixty seconds, then the mixer
blades will shear the newly forming floc
back into small particles.
• After flash mixing, coagulation occurs.
During coagulation, the coagulant
chemicals neutralize the electrical
charges of the fine particles in the
water, allowing the particles to come
closer together and form large clumps.
• The final step is flocculation. During
flocculation, a process of gentle mixing
brings the fine particles formed by
coagulation into contact with each
other.
• Flocculation typically lasts for about thirty
to forty-five minutes.
 To
•summarize,
Coagulation Is
• The addition and rapid
mixing of coagulants
• The destabilization of colloidal
and fine particles
• The initial aggregation of
destabilized particles
• Flocculation Is
• The gentle agitation to aggregate
destabilized particles to form rapid-
settling floc
L-18
THEORY OF COAGULATION
Destabilization of colloidal particles
takes place by following ways
Coagulation and flocculation
can be caused by any of the
following:
1. Double layer compression
2. Charge neutralization
3. Bridging
4. Colloid entrapment
1. DOUBLE LAYER
COMPRESSION THEORY
An Electric Double Layer consists of three
parts:
•Surface charge - charged ions
(commonly
negative) adsorbed on the particle
surface.
•Stern layer - counter ions (charged
opposite to the surface charge) attracted
to the particle surface and closely
attached to it by the electrostatic force.
•Diffuse layer - a film of the dispersion
medium (solvent) adjacent to the particle.
Diffuse layer contains free ions with a
higher concentration of the counter ions.
•The amount of coagulant which
should be added to the water will
depend on the
zeta potential, a measurement of the
magnitude of electrical charge
surrounding the colloidal particles.
•The zeta potential as the amount of
repulsive force which keeps the particles
in the suspension.
•If the zeta potential is large, then
more coagulants will be needed.
• When coagulants(Electrolytes)
are added into the water it
changes ionic concentration.
• Which compresses double layer
and weakens repulsive forces.
• The basic goal of coagulation
is to reduce the net repulsive
force.
Double layer
gets
compressed
after addition
of coagulant
2. Charge Neutralization
3. Bridging
• Bridging occurs when a
coagulant forms threads or
fibers which attach to several
colloids, capturing and binding
them together.
•
Inorganic primary
coagulants and organic
polyelectrolytes both have
then capability of bridging.
•
Higher molecular weights
4. Colloidal entrapment
Factors affecting coagulation
1. Types of coagulant
2. Quantity or dose of coagulant
3. Characteristics of water such as
- Type and quantity of suspended
matter
- Temperature of water
- pH of water
4. time, turbulence and method of
mixing
L-19
COMMON COAGULANTS
Coagulants
• Mainly aluminum and iron salts
1. Aluminum sulfate
2. Chlorinated copperas
3. Ferrous sulfate and lime
4. Magnesium carbonate and lime
5. Sodium Aluminate
• Aluminum salts are cheaper but
iron salts are more effective
over wider pH range
 1. Aluminum Sulfate or Alum
• To produce the hydroxide floc,
enough alkalinity should present
in the water

• If alkalinity is not enough, then it

should be added. Usually hydrated
lime is used forthat purpose
(optimum pH is 6.5 – 8.5)
• Under normal cicumstances Dose of
Alum varies from 10 to 30 mg/lit of
water.
Advantages
1. Alum reduces taste and odour
2. Cheap
3. Easily available
4. Soluble in water
Disadvantages
1. Difficult to dewater the sludge
2. Ferrous Sulfate (Chlorinated
Copperas)
• The optimum pH range is 3.5
to 6.5
• At higher pH i.e. 9.5 it
removes manganese
• More expensive than alum
• Effective in colour removal.
• Low solubility in water
3. Ferrous Sulfate and lime
• Ferrous sulphate can react with
natural calcium bicarbonate
alkalinity in water, but its slow
process.
• Hence Lime is added in water.
• Ferric hydroxide is gelatinous
floc, which is heavier than floc
formed by alum.
• Optimum pH range is below 7
4. Magnesium carbonate and
lime

Byproducts of above reaction

forms soluble sludge, so not
commonly used
5. Sodium Aluminate
Comparison of Alum and Iron salt
1.Iron salts forms heavy floc as
compared to alum, hence more
Solids are removed
2.time of reaction and floc formation
is less for iron salts, hence ‘t’
reduces.
3.Iron salts can work efficiently over
wider pH range
4. Iron salts can remove taste and
odour.
6.Under some cases iron salts are
more economical.
7.Iron salts cause staining and
promotes growth of iron bacteria.
8.Iron salts make water more
corrosive as compared to alum
9. Handling of iron salts requires skill.
10.More CO2 is formed so water
becomes corrosive.
11.Alum Coagulation may not be
proper if K or Na are present in
L-20
Coagulant Aids
• Are used to produce quick-
forming, dense and rapid-
settling flocs
• Polyelectrolytes
• pH adjustment
• Alkalinity addition
• Turbidity addition
Polyelectrolytes
• Anionic (-vely charged)
• Cationic (+vely charged)
• Polyampholites (both +vely and
–vely charged groups)
• Natural such as starch
• Synthetic (more common in
coagulation)
• They aid in coagulation by:
• Chemical bridging
• Interaction between reactive groups
on the polyelectrolyte and the floc
pH Adjustment
• Is used if pH of water to be
treated is not within the
optimum pH of the coagulant
• pH is increased using lime
• pH is reduced using sulfuric acid
Alkalinity Addition
• Is used when natural alkalinity
is not enough to produce good
floc
• Hydrated or slaked lime is used
• Soda ash (Na2CO3) is also
used (expensive)
Turbidity Addition
• Is used to provide sufficient
particulate concentration to
achieve rapid coagulation
through sufficient inter-
particle collision
• Is done by recycling
chemically precipitated
sludge
• Bentonite Clays are also used for
Method of feeding coagulants
1. Dry feeding
2. Wet feeding
Mixing devices: Hydraulic
mixing in water flow
a. Channel
with
baffles

b. Overflo
w weir

c. Hydraulic
jump
Mixing devices : Hydraulic mixing in
flocculation tank
• A.Vertical
flow

• B. Horizontal
flow
• Horizontally baffled tank
The water flows horizontally.
The baffle walls help to create turbulence
and thus facilitate mixing
•Vertically baffled tank
The water flows vertically.
The baffle walls help to create
turbulence and thus facilitate
mixing
Flash mixer
DESIGN OF FLOCCULATOR
Vertical shaft flocculator

BLADES
Horizontal shaft flocculator
 Plank

Shaft
Paddle blade flocculator
• The design parameters of
flocculator units are:

• mixing time, t
• volume of flocculator V,
• velocity gradient, G
10 to 75 1/s

Lo
w
Design criteria for flocculator
1. Depth of tank = 3 to 4.5 m (some times
5)
2. Detention time 10 to 40 min (30 min)
3. Velocity of flow = 0.2 to 0.8 m/s (0.4
m/s)
4. Total area of paddles = 10 to 25 % of c/s
area
5. Peripheral velocity of blades = (Should
be less than 1 m/s ) 0.2 to 0.6 m/s
6. Velocity gradient G = 10 to 75 s-1
9. Outlet flow velocity = 0.15 to 0.25 m/s
10.CD = 1.8 for flat blades
11.Distance between paddle edge and
side of basin = 15 to 40 cm
12. K=0.25
13. Relative velocity is 75% of paddle
velocity
i.e. vr = 0.75% x vp
14. Area of paddles = length of blades x
width x no. of blades in that
compartment
i.e. Ap = lb x w x n
Objective Questions
1.For design of flocculator G value shall
be in the range of to 1/s.
2.Relative velocity shall be assumed as
% of paddle velocity.
3. is commonly used as
coagulant.
4. Optimum pH range for alum
is to
.
5. mixing is done in flash mixer,
Theory Questions
1. Explain theory of coagulation.
2. Write detailed note on ‘design of
flocculator’.
3. List out coagulants used in water
treatment and explain any one with the
help of chemical reactions.
4. What are coagulant aids?
5. Compare Alum and iron salts as
coagulants.