Environmental engineering

“My Lord, Increase me in knowledge”

Al-Quran 20:114

Coagulation/flocculation,disinfection
sedimentation and filtration

Department of Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science 1

Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114
 Water treatment ?

Department of Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science 2

Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114
 Water treatment steps ?
• Charge neutralization processes
Coag
ulatio • Building large flocs/particles from small
n/
floccu
one
lation

• Separate out solids from water

Sedim
entati
• e.g., clarification tank or settling tank
on

• Rapid gravity sand filtration

Filtrat • Membrane filtration, MBR
ion

Department of Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science 3

Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114
 Coagulation/flocculation process?

Department of Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science 4

Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114
 Coagulation?

Department of Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science

5
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114
 Cont.

Department of Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science

6
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114
 Sedimentation tank?

Department of Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science 7

Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114
 Factors affecting sedimentation tank
Detention /HRT time: shorter HRT lesser the settling
and higher the turbidity
Velocity: higher velocity causes scouring/re-
suspension of the flocs result in higher turbidity
effluent
Surface turbulence: greater surface turbulence higher
rate
Temperature: higher T, faster sedimentation.
Shirt circuit: short detention time
dimention

Department of Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science

Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114 8
 Mechanism of Coagulation/flocculation process?

Colloidal
particles size:
mm (1 nm)
to mm (1mm)

Department of Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science 9

Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114
 Electrical Charges on
Colloidal Surfaces arises in 3
Colloidal characteristics?
main ways:
Silicon atoms in crystalline material:
replaced by atoms with lower valence
(such as aluminum ion) giving an Imperfections
in crystal
excess negative charge to the crystal structure  Many colloidal particles
material acquire a charge as a result
Example :Clay particles of the preferential
Adsorption of ions on particles adsorption of either
surface
positive or negative ions
 on their surface.
Colloidal particles in
 Many particles contain ionic aqueous media usually
groups, such as hydroxyl, Ionization of adsorb anions and acquire
carboxyl groups, which dissociate surface sites a negative charge.
in water.
 These ionic groups produce a
surface charge depending on the
solution pH.
Department of Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science 10
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114
 Colloidal stability?
Attractive Forces:
results from Van der Waal
forces of intermolecular
attraction

Forces acting
on particles
Repulsive Forces:
result from electric
double layer (EDL)

Department of Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science 11

Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114
 disinfection

Characteristics of five common disinfectants

Issue disinfectants
Effectivenes Free chlorine Combine Chlorine Ozone UV light
s chlorine dioxide
Bacteria Excellent Good Excellent Excellent Good

Viruses Excellent Excellent Excellent Fair

Protozoa Fair to poor Poor Good Good Excellent

Endospores Good to Poor Fair Excellent Fair

poor

Department of Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science

Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114 12
 Kinetic model
Straightforward model of disinfection: given by
Chick’s law
Rate of change in the number of organism with time
which is proportional to inactivated organism by the
disinfectants.

Where N is the concentration of organism,

# organisms/volume
K is constant, Chick’s rate constant, /time
Department of Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science
13
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114
 Zeta potential

Department of Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science

Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114 14