COAGULATION, FLOCCULATION

AND CLARIFICATION
 INTRODUCTION
The stage of water treatment
preliminary treatment is any physical or chemical
or mechanical process used on water before it
undergoes the main treatment process. During
preliminary treatment :
• screens may be used to remove rocks, sticks,
leaves and other debris;
• chemicals may be added to control the growth
of algae; and
• a presedimentation stage can settle out sand,
grit and gravel from raw water.
• Coagulation, flocculation and clarification
processes are used when a water source
contains a large amount of fine suspended
matter, for example silt or mud.

• If this type of water flows into a sand filter, the

filter will soon block and stop working
 What is Coagulation ?
• Coagulation is destabilization of colloids by addition
of chemicals that neutralize the negative charges

• Common coagulant chemicals used are alum, ferric

sulfate, ferric chloride, ferrous sulfate, and sodium
aluminate
 Colloid Stability

• Colloids have a net negative surface charge

• Electrostatic force prevents them from
agglomerization
• Brownian motion keeps the colloids in suspension
• Impossible to remove colloids by gravity settling
The choice of coagulant chemical depends upon :

a. the nature of the suspended solid to be

removed
b. the raw water conditions
c. the facility design, and
d. the cost of the amount of chemical necessary
to produce the desired result.
 Reactions
• Alum
Al2(SO4)3 + 3 Ca(HCO3)2 2 Al(OH)3 + 3 CaSO4 + 6 CO2

• Ferric Sulfate
Fe2(SO4)3 + 3 Ca(HCO3)2 2 Fe(OH)3 + 3 CaSO4 + 6 CO2

• Ferric Chloride
2 FeCl3 + 3 Ca(HCO3)2 2 Fe(OH)3 + 3 CaCl2 + 6 CO2
 What is Flocculation ?

• Flocculation is the agglomeration of destabilized

particles into a large size particles known as flocs
which can be effectively removed by sedimentation
or flotation.
• Flocculation is the gentle agitation to aggregate
destabilized particles to form rapid – settling floc
• Another method of enhancing
agglomeritation is to add organic polymers
• These compounds consist of a long carbon
chain with active groups such as amine,
nitrogen or sulfate groups along the chains
• Another method of
enhancing
agglomeritation is to
add organic polymers

• These compounds
consist of a long carbon
chain with active groups
such as amine, nitrogen
or sulfate groups along
the chains
 Clarification
• Sedimentation is the process by which suspended particles
are removed from the water by means of gravity or
separation.

• In the sedimentation process, the water passes through a

relatively quiet and still basin. In these conditions, the floc
particles settle to the bottom of the basin, while “clear”
water passes out of the basin over an effluent baffle or
weir.

• Clarification is the final part of the process and allows the

large flocs containing much of the suspended matter to sink
to the bottom of a tank or basin, while the clear water
overflows and then further treated
 Sedimentation is the separation of suspended material from
the water by gravity.

In water treatment the main purpose is to reduce solids loading

on the filters.

Sedimentation is carried out in a sedimentation tank, a settling

tank, or clarifier-- different words for the same process.

Clarification is also sometimes called sedimentation