A two-scale PBM for modeling turbulent flocculation in water treatment processes

Mechanisms behind overshoots in mean cluster size profiles in aggregation-breakup processes

Aggregation and breakup of small particles in stirred suspensions often shows an overshoot in the time evolution of the mean cluster size: Starting from a suspension of primary particles the mean cluster size first increases before going through a maximum beyond which a slow relaxation sets in. Such behavior was observed in various systems, including polymeric latices, inorganic colloids, asphaltenes, proteins, and, as shown by independent experiments in this work, in the flocculation of microalgae. This work aims at investigating possible mechanism to explain this phenomenon using detailed population balance modeling that incorporates refined rate models for aggregation and breakup of small particles in turbulence. Four mechanisms are considered: (1) restructuring, (2) decay of aggregate strength, (3) deposition of large clusters, and (4) primary particle aggregation where only aggregation events between clusters and primary particles are permitted. We show that all four mechanisms can lead to an overshoot in the mean size profile, while in contrast, aggregation and breakup alone lead to a monotonic, "S"-shaped size evolution profile. In order to distinguish between the different mechanisms simple protocols based on variations of the shear rate during the aggregation-breakup process are proposed.

Flocculation performance of epichlorohydrin-dimethylamine polyamine in treating dyeing wastewater

Epichlorohydrin-dimethylamine polymers with different intrinsic viscosity (eta) and cationicity (tau) were synthesized. The flocculation performance and mechanism of these polymers in the removal of the reactive and disperse dyes from synthetic wastewater was investigated in terms of flocculation dynamics and color removal efficiency. The polymer flocculation efficiency was compared with that of polyaluminum chloride (PAC) and a composite flocculant based on polyaluminum chloride-epichlorohydrin-dimethylamine polyamine. The results showed that epichlorohydrin-dimethylamine polymer was effective over a pH range of 2-10 for the reactive and disperse dye removal (Reactive Brilliant Red and Disperse Yellow dyes). Epichlorohydrin-dimethylamine polymer with the highest eta and tau gave the best reactive dye removal efficiency, and its adsorption-bridging and electric neutralization ability played important roles in the flocculation process. The higher the eta viscosity of the epichlorohydrin-dimethylamine polymer, the better the flocculation performance of epichlorohydrin-dimethylamine polyamine, and stronger adsorption-bridging ability was obtained for removing the disperse dye from dyeing wastewaters. Epichlorohydrin-dimethylamine polymer achieved better decolorization performance when used together with PAC.

Experimental analysis of floc size distributions in a 1-L jar under different hydrodynamics and physicochemical conditions

This study focuses on the relation among hydrodynamics, physicochemical conditions, and floc size. During ortho-kinetic flocculation, the floc size is controlled by a balance between hydrodynamic stress and aggregate strength. Special attention was paid to the influence of a hydrodynamic sequencing on both the aggregate strength and the flocculation processes. Experimental research was conducted in a 1-L jar for two different pH values. The hydrodynamic sequencing was made up of successive slow and rapid mixing periods, and different slow mixing intensities were studied. First, the large floc size was shown to decrease with increasing velocity gradient (G), with an expected trend (d proportional variant epsilon(-1/4)). Then, the aggregate strength was shown to depend on two main factors: the flocculation history and the physicochemical conditions, which control the cohesion forces between primary particles. Finally, flocculation processes are discussed in terms of aggregation and breakup phenomena, with relation to local hydrodynamics and physicochemical conditions.

Mathematical modeling of polymer-induced flocculation by charge neutralization

A detailed mathematical model for flocculation of colloidal suspensions in presence of salts and polymers is described and validated. In former case, the classical DLVO theory, which accounts for relevant variables such as pH and salt concentration, is incorporated into a geometrically sectioned discrete population balance model. For processes involving polymers, flocculation via simple charge neutralization is modeled using a modified DLVO theory in which the effect of adsorbed polymer layers on van der Waals attraction is included. The fractal dimension of aggregates is obtained by dynamic scaling of experimental data for time evolution of mean aggregate size. The particle surface potential is assumed to be approximately equal to the zeta potential. The model predictions are in close agreement with experimental results for flocculation of colloidal hematite suspensions in the presence of KCl and polyacrylic acid at different concentrations. In particular, given values of model parameters, e.g., Hamaker constant, fractal dimension, surface potential, and thickness of adsorbed polymer layer, the model can realistically describe the kinetics of flocculation by a simple charge neutralization mechanism and track the evolution of floc size distribution. Representative examples of sensitivity of the flocculation model to perturbations in surface potential and fractal dimension and to modification in the DLVO theory for polymer-coated particles are included.

Characterizing flocculation under heterogeneous turbulence

This study investigated the impact of turbulent heterogeneity in a flocculation reactor on particle aggregation and breakup. In particular, the influence of average characteristic velocity gradient (G), particle concentration, and coagulation mechanism (sweep floc vs charge neutralization) on the floc growth, steady-state size, and variance was analyzed. Experiments were performed in a bench-scale reactor with a low-shear axial-flow impeller using a photometric dispersion analyzer (PDA). Results indicated that as G increased, floc growth increased while the mean size and variance in the floc size distribution decreased. In addition, floc growth, mean size, and variance increased with increasing primary particle concentration and when the coagulation mechanism was switched from charge neutralization to sweep floc. Lastly, floc growth, mean size, and variance were found to vary spatially in the reactor at low G values with larger floc size and growth rate in the bulk region and a larger variance in the impeller discharge region.