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Homework Coagulation and Flocculation

Instructions: Answer the questions inline below. Save the document with your last name
in the file name. Submit the assignment through WebCT. See the instructions on the
course website (www.agls.uidaho.edu/asm320).

1. Which type of water is likely to require coagulation and flocculation?

Surface water is more likely to have eroded material, decayed plant material, animal
wastes. Groundwater is muc h less likely; the only colloids likely to be in groundwater
are small clay particles, which are harmless.

2. What types of impurities are removed by coagulation and flocculation?

Non-settleable (colloidal) solids and color.

3. What are examples of colloidal solids?

Non-settleable organic matter, clay particles, bacteria, plankton, small particles of

decayed plant material, etc.

4. What is the difference between coagulation and flocculation?

During coagulation, chemicals are added to make particles clump together. During
flocculation, the solution is mixed gently, providing time and energy so the clumps will
gather together and form larger clumps.

5. What is the most frequently used coagulant? Give name and chemical formula.

Aluminum sulfate, Al2 (SO4 )3 · 14H2 0

6. Define alkalinity.

Alkalinity is the capacity of water to neutralize acids. This is capacity is a function of the
concentrations of such negative ions (anions) as carbonate, bicarbonate, hydroxide, or
phosphate. Having a high alkalinity does not necessarily mean a high pH. You can have
a neutral water with high concentrations of these constituents. You know it’s alkalinity is
high because it requires a lot of acid to change the pH. The alkalinity buffers the pH so a
little bit of acid doesn’t change the pH.

7. What is the (a) typical mixing time, and (b) minimum detention time for flocculation?

the mixing time is usually several seconds.

The detention time varies from 5-30 minutes; probably 15 min would be a minimum (see
bottom of page 123).

8. What is the advantage of having vertically suspended flocculation paddles rather than
horizontal ones?

Vertical flocculators have their machinery above the water, so usually there is less
maintenance.

9. What is the most important consideration in controlling the success of the coagulation-
flocculation process?

The most important consideration in coagulation-flocculation process control is selection

of the proper type and amount of coagulant chemical(s) to be added to the water being
treated. This decision is made with the help of a jar test.

10. How does proper coagulation procedure help insure adequate disinfection?

Bacteria bound up in floc may be shielded from disinfection. Therefore you need to
insure that the floc all ends up settling out in the sedimentation basin so it will be
disposed of as sludge. If the floc doesn’t settle, and is later broken apart in the filter, the
bacteria’s total chlorine contact time might not have been sufficient. Bacteria are small
enough to then pass through the filter and arrive to the consumer.

11. What water quality parameters are measured (with meters or with lab tests) to
monitor the coagulation- flocculation process?

Turbidity, alkalinity, pH, color, temperature, and chlorine demand.

12. Wha t would you look for when visually observing the performance of a coagulation-
flocculation process?

That turbulence was well distributed in the cells, that floc is evenly distributed (no short-
circuiting), that floc has the right-sized particles, that floc particles are dense and not
fluffy, that no leaves or twigs have gotten into the system.

13. What could cause the performance of coagulation- flocculation systems to vary over
the course of a day?

Variation in the quality of the original source water. Daily variation of some water
supplies, such as creeks and rivers, can be significant. Reservoir water quality may vary
only seasonally. (Groundwater rarely varies in quality at all, but it doesn’t usually
require coagulation and flocculation anyway.)

14. How do you calculate detention time?

To get detention time, divide volume by volume/time. For example, divide the volume in
gallons by the flow in gallons/day.

15. A water treatment plant has a total daily flow-through of 2.8 MGD, or 2,800,000
gallons/day. The flocculation basin has 3 sections, but its total length is 48’ long. It is
10’ deep and 15’ wide. Calculate the detention time in minutes.

First, calculate volume. 48x10x15 is 7200 cf. 7200 cf = 53,856 gallons.

Then, divide volume by volume/time. This gives .019 days = .46 hours = 27.7 minutes

16. Give the definition of a jar test, including (a) why it is done, and (b) roughly how it is
done.

(a) A jar test is performed to simulate or predict how the input water will be treated by a
series of several different chemical doses (usually 6).
(b) The follosing steps are followed.
• Samples of water are taken from the point on the plant just before the coag- floc
system, and put into 6 jars.
• A different dose of coagulant is put into each jar, and the jars are the jars are
otherwise treated with the same respect to the energy of the flash mix, the energy
of slow mix, and the settling time.
• Stop stirrers, and note time.
• Allow to settle for 30 min.
• The time is noted for visible floc to form in each jar, and the characteristics of the
first floc are also noted (e.g. pin- head sized floc, or flake sized floc).
• At regular time intervals, the six bottles are compared for how quickly the floc
settles, floc appearance, and turbidity of settled water above the floc. A hazy
water after settling indicates poor coagulation. (Properly coagulated water
contains floc particles that are well formed and the water between the particles is
clear. The particles should look dense, not fluffy, so they will settle, and so they
are not easily broken.)
• Finally, measure the turbidity of the settled water in all 6 bottles.

17. When you apply jar test results to calculate the lbs/day of alum needed, what
conversion factor do you need to use when going from mg/L of coagulant when your
flow is in MGD?

8.34 lbs/gallon

18. You have just performed a series of jar tests, and your results indicate that the best
dosage is 11 mg/L of alum. How many lbs/day do you need to deliver to the system if
your water flow is 2.9 MGD?

Feeder setting (lbs/day) = (Flow, MGD) x (alum concentration, mg/L) x (8.34 lbs/gallon)

= 2.9 MGD x 11 mg/L x (1 L/Mil mg) x 8.34 lbs/gal

 = 266 lbs/day

19. Why do you have to be sure that you add enough alum (or other trivalent salt)?

You must exceed the solubility limit of aluminum hydroxide so it will precipitate out to
MAKE the floc, adsorbing the small colloids on its surface as it does so.

20. Are cationic polymers or anionic polymers more likely to be the primary coagulant?

Cationic. Your WTPO text tells you this, but doesn’t elaborate on why. The chemistry
text does tell you this. It is because most suspended particles (e.g. clay, bacteria, humic
acid macromolecules, etc.) are negatively charged, and cationic polymers have positively
charge groups that can adsorb the negative particles.

For the next few questions, refer to your chemistry text by Sarai.

21. Why are trivalents salts, such as of aluminum or iron, used to create a precipitate
floc, instead of monovalent or bivalent salts?

The larger the charge of the ions, the more colloids that will be attracted and adsorbed
into the floc. The effect of a trivalent ion is 600-700 times more than that of a
monovalent ion.

22. Adding a trivalent salt is one way to precipitate colloids (cause flocculation). List
two other methods.

Electrophoresis, adding a colloid of opposite charge, boiling, or freezing.