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Water Supply Vol 2 No 5-6 pp 95–101 © IWA Publishing 2002

Properties of flocs formed using different coagulants

M.A. Yukselen* and J. Gregory**

*Marmara University, Department of Environmental Engineering, Kadikoy 81040, Istanbul, Turkey
**Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT UK. Corresponding author


ABSTRACT
The effects of shear on the formation and break-up of flocs generated using aluminium sulphate ("alum"), polyaluminium chloride and a cationic polyelectrolyte have been investigated using conventional jar test procedure and by continuous optical monitoring. Using the experimentally determined optimum dosage, the breakage of flocs was followed at a high stirring speed, corresponding to average shear rate (G) of about 330-520 s-1. Most of the breakage occurred within a few seconds of increasing the shear rate. After each breakage the stirring rate was reduced to the original value to allow the flocs to re-grow. For alum and polyaluminium chloride, it was found that only limited re-growth of flocs occurred indicating a significant irreversibility of the floc break-up process. Residual turbidity increased after floc breakage and re-growth, indicating a reduction in sedimentation rate of the re-grown flocs, consistent with the continuous monitoring results. For the cationic polyelectrolyte, the re-growth of flocs occurred to a much greater extent and floc breakage was almost fully reversible.

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