Particle size distribution and removal by a chemical-biological flocculation process

The particle characterization from the influent and effluent of a chemical-biological flocculation （CBF） process was studied with a laser diffraction device. Water samples from a chemically enhanced primary treatment （CEPT） process and a primary sediment tank process were also analyzed for comparison. The results showed that CBF process was not only effective for both the big size particles and small size particles removal, but also the best particle removal process in the three processes. The results also indicated that CBF process was superior to CEPT process in the heavy metals removal. The high and non-selective removal for heavy metals might be closely related to its strong ability to eliminate small particles. Samples from different locations in CBF reactors showed that small particles were easier to aggregate into big ones and those disrupted flocs could properly flocculate again along CBF reactor because of the biological flocculation.     

Performance of a novel vertical-flow settler: a comparative study

By increasing particle concentration and G value （root-mean-square velocity gradient） to enhance flocculation, a novel vertical-flow settler was designed to increase sedimentation effectiveness, and to simultaneously improve operational stabilization. Due to the gradual decrease in upward flow-rate of raw water, a floes blanket would form and suspend in the middle section of the settler, not at the bottom as in a conventional clarifier. Enough large floes, resulted from flocculation or fltration, would continuously settle out of the floes blanket, and simultaneously, the floes in raw water or those forming above the blanket would ceaselessly enter the floes blanket. As a result, the floes concentration in the blanket could keep a dynamic balance. The hydrodynamic shear in the blanket was improved by flow separation, which was induced by the abrupt change in flow channel. Due to the floes blanket and improved hydrodynamic shear, flocculation would be enhanced, which was helpful for removing fine particles in raw water. A comparative study showed that the novel vertical-flow settler had a much better performance in the removal of the particles in raw water than a conventional one, when they treated kaolin suspensions of different concentrations （500, 100 and 50 mg/L, respectively） coagulated by polyaluminum chloride（PAC1） at the up-flow rates of 1 and 2 mm/s, respectively.     

Analysis of floc morphology in a continuous-flow flocculation and sedimentation reactor

The floc morphology was investigated in a continuous-flow reactor, in order to understand the evolution of flocs in practical flocculation and sedimentation processes in water utilities. Kaolin-humic acid suspension was used as the test water, and polyaluminum chloride was chosen as the coagulant. An in-situ recognition system was applied to analyze the floc size, boundary fractal dimension, and eccentricity ratios. Particle numbers and turbidity were also determined in the sedimentation stage. At a coagulant dose of 1 mg/L as Al, the average floc size increased from 62 to 78 μm and the boundary fractal dimension was around 1.14, suggesting that flocs were compact and continuously grew during the entire flocculation process. However, with the dose increased to 5 mg/L, the average floc size decreased and stabilized at around 65 μm, with the fractal dimension of 1.20. It can be concluded that the excess coagulant doses resulted in the formation of chain-shaped, lower density, and more branched structure flocs, thereby restricting flocs' further growth in the subsequent flocculation. Floc morphology analysis suggested that charge neutralization dominated in the initial flocculation stage, then the bridge and sweep mechanisms were dominant in the subsequent flocculation. In addition, compared with the traditional inclined plate settler, a novel V-shaped plate settler introduced in this study had an advantage in small size floc(less than 5 μm) removal. The V-shaped region could promote aggregate restructuring and re-flocculation; therefore, the V-shaped plate settler provides an alternative method for sedimentation.     

Influence of coagulation mechanisms and floc formation on filterability

Minimizing particles in water is a key goal for improving drinking water quality and safety.The media filtration process,as the last step of the solid–liquid separation process,is largely influenced by the characteristics of flocs,which are formed and controlled within the coagulation process.In a laboratory-based study,the impacts of the physical characteristics of flocs formed using aluminum sulfate on the filtration treatment of two comparative water samples were investigated using a photometric dispersion analyzer and a filterability apparatus.In general,the optimum dosage for maximizing filterability was higher than that for minimizing turbidity under neutral p H conditions.For a monomeric aluminum-based coagulant,the charge neutralization mechanism produced better floc characteristics,including floc growth speed and size,than the sweep flocculation mechanism.In addition,the charge neutralization mechanism showed better performance compared to sweep flocculation in terms of DOC removal and floc filterability improvement for both waters,and showed superiority in turbidity removal only when the raw water had high turbidity.For the different mechanisms,the ways that floc characteristics impacted on floc filterability also differed.The low variation in floc size distribution obtained under the charge neutralization mechanism resulted in the flocs being amenable to removal by filtration processes.For the sweep flocculation mechanism,increasing the floc size improved the settling ability of flocs,resulting in higher filter efficiency.     

Phosphorus recovery from wastewater by struvite crystallization：Property of aggregates

Struvite crystallization is a promising method to remove and recover phosphorus from wastewater to ease both the scarcity of phosphorus rock resources and water eutrophication worldwide. To date, although various kinds of reactor systems have been developed, supporting methods are required to control the struvite fines flushing out of the reactors. As an intrinsic property, aggregation is normally disregarded in the struvite crystallization process, although it is the key factor in final particle size and therefore guarantees phosphorus recovery efficiency. The present study developed a method to analyze the characteristics of struvite aggregates using fractal geometry, and the influence of operational parameters on struvite aggregation was evaluated. Due to its typical orthorhombic molecular structure, struvite particles are prone to crystallize into needle or rod shapes, and aggregate at the corners or edges of crystals. The determined fractal dimension(Dpf) of struvite aggregates was 1.52–1.31, with the corresponding range of equivalent diameter(d0.5) at 295.9–85.4 μm. Aggregates formed in relatively low phosphorus concentrations(3.0–5.0 mmol/L) and mildly alkaline conditions(pH 9.0–9.5) displayed relatively compact structures, large aggregate sizes and high aggregation strength. Increasing pH values led to continuous decrease of aggregate sizes, while the variation of Dpfwas insignificant. As to the aggregate evolution, fast growth in a short time followed by a long steady stage was observed.     

Influence of zeta potential on the flocculation of cyanobacteria cells using chitosan modified soil

Using chitosan modified soil to flocculate and sediment algal cells has been considered as a promising strategy to combat cyanobacteria blooms in natural waters. However, the flocculation efficiency often varies with algal cells with different zeta potential (ZP) attributed to different growth phases or water conditions. This article investigated the relationship between ZP of Microcystis aeruginosa and its influence to the flocculation efficiency using chitosan modified soil. Results suggested that the optimal removal efficiency was obtained when the ZP was between -20.7 and -6.7 mV with a removal efficiency of more than 80% in 30 min and large floc size of >350 μm. When the algal cells were more negatively charged than -20.7 mV, the effect of chitosan modified soil was depressed (<60%) due to the insufficient charge density of chitosan to neutralize and destabilize the algal suspension. When the algal cells were less negative than -6.7 mV or even positively charged, a small floc size (<120 μm) was formed, which may be difficult to sink under natural water conditions. Therefore, manipulation of ZP provided a viable tool to improve the flocculation efficiency of chitosan modified soil and an important guidance for practical engineering of cyanobacteria bloom control.     

Investigation of colloidal biogenic sulfur flocculation: Optimization using response surface analysis

The colloidal properties of biogenic elemental sulfur(S~0)cause solid–liquid separation problems,such as poor settling and membrane fouling.In this study,the separation of S~0 from bulk liquids was performed using flocculation.Polyaluminum chloride(PAC),polyacrylamide(PAM)and microbial flocculant(MBF)were compared to investigate their abilities to flocculate S~0 produced during the treatment of sulfate-containing wastewater.A novel approach with response surface methodology(RSM)was employed to evaluate the effects and interactions of flocculant dose,pH and stirring intensity,on the treatment efficiency in terms of the S~0 flocculation and the supernatant turbidity removal.The dose optimization results indicated that the S~0 flocculation efficiency decreased in the following order PACMBFPAM.Optimum S~0 flocculation conditions were observed at pH 4.73,a stirring speed of 129 r/min and a flocculant dose of 2.42 mg PAC/mg S.During optimum flocculation conditions,the S~0f locculation rate reached 97.53%.Confirmation experiments demonstrated that employing PAC for S~0 flocculation is feasible and RSM is an efficient approach for optimizing the process of S~0 flocculation.The results provide basic parameters and conditions for recovering sulfur during the treatment of sulfate-laden wastewaters.     

Influence of zeta potential on the flocculation of cyanobacteria cells using chitosan modified soil

Using chitosan modified soil to flocculate and sediment algal cells has been considered as a promising strategy to combat cyanobacteria blooms in natural waters. However, the flocculation efficiency often varies with algal cells with different zeta potential(ZP) attributed to different growth phases or water conditions. This article investigated the relationship between ZP of Microcystis aeruginosa and its influence to the flocculation efficiency using chitosan modified soil. Results suggested that the optimal removal efficiency was obtained when the ZP was between- 20.7 and- 6.7 m V with a removal efficiency of more than 80% in 30 min and large floc size of 350 μm. When the algal cells were more negatively charged than- 20.7 m V, the effect of chitosan modified soil was depressed( 60%) due to the insufficient charge density of chitosan to neutralize and destabilize the algal suspension. When the algal cells were less negative than- 6.7 m V or even positively charged, a small floc size( 120 μm) was formed, which may be difficult to sink under natural water conditions. Therefore, manipulation of ZP provided a viable tool to improve the flocculation efficiency of chitosan modified soil and an important guidance for practical engineering of cyanobacteria bloom control.     

Laboratory-scale column study for remediation of TCE-contaminated aquifers using three-section controlled-release potassium permanganate barriers

A laboratory-scale study with a sand column was designed to simulate trichloroethylene(TCE) pollution in the aquifer environment with three-section controlled-release potassium permanganate(CRP) barriers.The main objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of CRP barriers in remediation of TCE in aquifers in a long-term and controlled manner.CRP particles with a 1:3 molar ratio of KMnO 4 to stearic acid showed the best controlled-release properties in pure water,and the theoretical release time was 138.5 days.The results of TCE removal in the test column indicated that complete removal efficiency of TCE in a sand column by three-section CRP barriers could be reached within 15 days.The molar ratio of KMnO 4 to TCE in the three-section CRP barriers was 16:1,which was much lower than 82:1 as required when KMnO 4 solution is used directly to achieve complete destruction of TCE.This result revealed that the efficiency of CRP for remediation of TCE was highly improved after encapsulation.     

Characterization and acid-mobilization study for typical iron-bearing clay mineral

In this study, iron speciation in five standard clay samples was characterized. Iron mobilization from these clays was then measured in acidic media. For comparison, a commercially available Arizona test dust (ATD) was also observed. The results showed that the free-Fe contents of clays were commonly lower than that of dust aerosols. The components of clays were dominant by the structural Fe held in the aluminosilicate lattice. The iron solubility of the clays were in the order of KGa-2?>?SWy-2?>?CCa-2?>?IMt-2?>?NAu-2. Based upon the Mössbauer spectrum and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis, the Fe(II) fraction and the Fe/Si ratio of clay particles changed after dissolution, suggesting the total Fe solubility depended on the Fe atom states existing within the aluminosilicate lattice. The Fe in KGa-2 and SWy-2 was most likely substituted for alkaline elements as the interlayer ions held by ionic bonds in the aluminosilicate, which are more liable to dissolution. However, the Fe in NAu-2 was more likely to be bound by strong covalent bonds in aluminosilicate mineral, which is less soluble. The much highly soluble Fe in ATD was not only linked to the dissolution of an appreciable fraction of Fe(II), but also could be attributed to the fact that the Fe bonds in the clay fraction of ATD were mainly present as ionic bonds. The TEM images showed that reacted clay particles displayed less aggregate particles, with nanoparticle aggregates and the Fe/S-rich tiny particles attached to the remains.     

絮凝条件对絮体分形结构的影响

在85kg/m³的含沙高浊水中投加阳离子高分子聚合物,借助图像分析技术与沉降技术分析探讨了不同絮凝条件下泥沙絮凝形态学参数:絮体粒径、絮体有效质量密度、絮体自由沉速、浑液面沉速与上清液余浊等的变化规律.利用表征参数“分维”定量控制不同絮凝条件(如搅拌速率、搅拌时间、高分子浓度等)对含沙高浊水絮体结构分形特性的影响.实验证明,不合适的絮凝条件将导致絮体分形构造疏松脆弱,分维值低.絮凝条件合适时(快速絮凝强度为:r₁=300r/min,t₁=10s;慢速絮凝强度:r₂=120r/min,t₂=180s;CP浓度:0.1%),絮体分形结构处于最佳状态.该状态下的絮体具有粒径较大、沉速快、有效质量密度高、粒度分布均匀,分维值最高(D₃=2.16)的特点.而且,由静沉实验测得浑液面沉速高,上清液余浊也低.泥沙絮体分形结构达最佳时的混凝性能、沉降性能与结构密实性均较理想.     

Are flocculants required in a flocculant process?

The effectiveness of solids abatement by pH increase was investigated using the jar test procedure with a bentonite tap water suspension and an urban wastewater and an oxidation pond effluent. The results indicated that, depending on the suspended particles and on the dissolved ions, pH values between 9.5 and 12 induced extensive solids elimination without adding any other chemical than a base, i.e. sodium hydroxide or lime. The major effective reactions are then the calcium carbonate precipitation and the magnesium hydroxide precipitation. Moreover, this process does not require a flocculation step but only a precipitation step where the particles are entrapped by sweep coagulation and adsorption-coagulation. A continuous reactor was operated with an oxidation pond effluent. A suspended solids concentration less than 30 mg/l was obtained by adjusting pH between 11 and 11.5 while the reactor was operated up to 20 m/h superficial upflow velocity corresponding to a residence time through the whole unit of only 5 minutes. The sludge settling velocity depends on pH and on the primary particles but a maximum settling velocity larger than 1 m/h is easily reached. The concentration factor is then about 100. Environmental policy implications of this technique are that it allows to significantly upgrade a stabilization pond effluent and can be used when a high pH situation is acceptable.     

有机质、CaCl_2和MgCl_2对细颗粒泥沙絮凝沉降的影响

在CaCl2和MgCl2浓度为0~1.0mmol/L,泥沙浓度为10g/L时,用吸管法研究了有机质、CaCl2和MgCl2对细颗粒泥沙静水絮凝沉降的影响,结果表明,去除有机质后,细颗粒泥沙絮凝沉降加快,其絮凝所需的最佳电解质浓度降低;CaCl2和MgCl2的絮凝能力无明显差异,有机质含量对其几乎没有影响;在相同盐度下,细颗粒泥沙的絮凝沉降速度随电解质摩尔浓度的增大而增大.     

持续水动力作用下湖泊底泥胶体态氮、磷的释放

为揭示水动力扰动及其后续沉淀效应对湖泊内源氮、磷营养盐释放的作用,通过室内试验模拟了水体在受到持续扰动后又长时间静置沉淀的整个过程. 结果表明,水动力扰动初期可引起底泥颗粒态和胶体态氮、磷向水体大量释放. 在连续扰动0.5 d时,水体总氮(TN)和总磷(TP)浓度分别达最高值2.106 mg/L和0.272 mg/L; 连续扰动1 d时,水体中胶体氮(CN)和胶体磷(CP)含量分别达最高值0.452 mg/L和0.052 mg/L; 之后虽继续扰动,因颗粒物和胶体物质的凝聚沉淀作用超过了其悬浮量,TN、TP、CN、CP的含量却转而降低.在停止扰动后的静置过程中,大颗粒悬浮物迅速沉淀,而胶体物质沉降缓慢,静置时间超过1 d后,CN和CP含量才开始因絮凝沉淀而降低.真溶解态氮(UDN) 和真溶解态磷(UDP)含量在扰动阶段升高较少而在静置1　d之后有持续大幅度升高,说明胶体的吸附作用在扰动阶段限制了水体溶解态氮磷含量的升高,且延长了其悬浮后在水柱中的停留时间,在扰动后的静置阶段,胶体又会将吸附的氮磷解吸释放到水体中,从而延缓了营养盐去除和水质的改善.     

鄱阳湖悬浮颗粒物絮凝沉降典型藻类的动力学研究

为了探讨鄱阳湖水动力条件改变引起的悬浮颗粒物浓度变化可能导致的鄱阳湖浮游植物群落结构的变化,本文研究了鄱阳湖悬浮颗粒物絮凝沉降3种典型藻类的动力学过程.以铜绿微囊藻(蓝藻)、四尾栅藻(绿藻)和菱形藻(硅藻)为研究对象、鄱阳湖采集沉积物为悬浮颗粒物,使用混凝试验搅拌仪模拟动力学条件,在颗粒物投加量为20 mg·L-1时分别研究了静置沉降时间、扰动强度和扰动时间对颗粒物絮凝沉降藻细胞的影响.结果表明,絮凝沉降效率:蓝藻绿藻硅藻.在扰动强度为20 s-1、扰动时间为30 min时,0.5~4 h静置沉降时间均促进3种藻类的絮凝沉降.绿藻和硅藻的絮凝沉降效率随着静置沉降时间的延长而降低,前0.5 h的絮凝沉降效率最大;而蓝藻的絮凝沉降效率变化无明显规律.扰动时间和静置沉降时间均为30 min时,随着扰动强度在2~40 s-1增加时,3种藻的絮凝沉降效率逐渐增大.扰动强度为20 s-1、静置沉降时间为30 min时,5~60 min扰动时间均促进藻细胞的絮凝沉降,并且随着扰动时间的增加,絮凝沉降效率呈先增大后降低的趋势.30 min为蓝藻絮凝沉降的最佳扰动时间,絮凝沉降效率为12.56%;45 min为绿藻和硅藻絮凝沉降的最佳扰动时间,絮凝沉降效率分别为11.93%和7.54%.因此,水动力条件的改变可以引起悬浮颗粒物与藻类的絮凝沉降效率发生变化,从而对藻类的群落结构以及水华发生规律产生影响.     

混凝过程中流场结构的PIV测量与表征

采用粒子成像速度场仪(PIV)在不投加专用示踪粒子的条件下,以混凝絮体为示踪粒子,对Taylor-Couette反应器内的絮凝反应流场进行测量与表征.结果表明,内筒旋转雷诺数Re在900~2900时,流场中产生的涡具有相似的特殊波状涡结构,相邻涡旋形态大小发生周期性变化,涡间存在主流液体的移动,这种涡结构有利于絮体结合生长成较大的絮体颗粒,便于沉降而导致较高的絮凝沉淀去除率.这也证实PIV技术能够在进行混凝反应的同时,用混凝过程中的微絮体为示踪粒子对混凝过程进行流场测量,不必再额外添加示踪粒子,就能较好地反映混凝过程中涡旋的形态变化特征,从而实现对絮凝过程的同步测量与表征.     

Cationic content effects of biodegradable amphoteric chitosan-based flocculants on the flocculation properties

A series of biodegradable amphoteric chitosan-based flocculants (3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (CTA) modified carboxymethyl chitosan, denoted as CMC-CTA) with different substitution degrees of CTA were prepared successfully. The content of carboxymethyl groups in each CMC-CTA sample was kept almost constant. The solubility of the various flocculants showed that, higher cationic content of flocculants caused a better solubility. The flocculation experiments using kaolin suspension as synthetic water at the laboratory scale indicated that the substitution degree of CTA was one of the key factors for the flocculation properties. With the increase of cationic content, the flocculants were demonstrated better flocculation performance and lower dosage requirement. Flocculation kinetics model of particles collisions combining zeta potential and turbidity measurements was employed to investigate the effects of the cationic content of the flocculants on the flocculation properties from the viewpoint of flocculation mechanism in detail. Furthermore, flocculation performance using raw water from Zhenjiang part of Yangtze River at the pilot scale showed the similar effects to those at the laboratory scale.     

Effect of water chemistry on the aggregation and photoluminescence behavior of carbon dots

Carbon dots are rapidly emerging carbon-based nanomaterials that, due to their growing applications, will inevitable find their way to natural waters; however, their environmental fate is mostly unknown. Carbon dots with different surface functionality were fabricated and characterized by TEM and FT-IR. Their surface charge, given by the zeta potential, and their hydrodynamic diameter in suspension were investigated under a variety of environmentally relevant conditions. The effect of ionic strength was studied in the presence of monovalent (NaCl) and divalent (CaCl₂) cations, for pH levels from 3 to 11; humic acid was used as a model for dissolved natural organic matter. Total potential energies of interactions were modeled by classical DLVO theory. The experimental results showed that water chemistry altered the surface charge of the nanomaterials, but their hydrodynamic size could not be correlated to those changes. Evidence of specific interactions was found for the amino functionalized particles in most cases, as well as the plain carbon dots in the presence of Ca^2 + and humic acid. Nanoparticles remained largely stable in suspension, with some exception at the highest ionic strength considered. DLVO theory did not adequately capture the aggregation behavior of the system. Moreover, cation and/or humic acid adsorption negatively affected the emission intensity of the particles, suggesting limitations to their use in natural water sensing applications. The particular stability shown by the carbon dots results in exposure to organisms in the water column and the possibility of contamination transported to significant distances from their source.     

壳聚糖接枝三元共聚阳离子絮凝剂对高岭土悬浊液的絮凝特性

采用烧杯混凝实验研究了壳聚糖(CTS)、CTS与丙烯酰胺和丙烯酸乙酯季铵盐三元接枝共聚阳离子絮凝剂(CAS)对高岭土悬浊液的絮凝特性.结果表明,CAS具有比CTS絮凝效果好、用量少、pH值适用范围广等优点.CAS絮凝效能受胶体颗粒性质的影响小,对自来水和蒸馏水配置的高岭土悬浊液均具有较好的絮凝效能.中性条件下,CAS的最佳投加量仅为CTS的1/10.在pH值2.0-11.0范围内,CAA对浊度的去除率在95%左右.CAS投加量与原水浊度的关系为:投加量低于0.5nag·L-1时,絮凝效果随原水浊度的升高降低;投加量大于0.5 mg·L-1,浊度去除率随原水浊度的增大而提高;投加量超过1.0 mg·L-1后,对浊度(10～160 NTU)的悬浊;液浊度去除率均在85%以上.悬浮颗粒聚集状态的变化分析、颗粒ξ电位测定、絮体粒径分布测定及其形态结构的观察结果表明,电性中和、吸附架桥是CAS的主要絮凝作用机理,絮凝过程是多种机制共同起作用的动态变化过程.