Clarifier 2

Applications:
1- Pretreatment
Before the water enters the clarifier, coagulation and flocculation reagents, such as
polyelectrolytes and ferric sulfate, can be added. These reagents cause finely suspended
particles to clump together and form larger and denser particles, called flocs, that settle more
quickly and stably. This allows the separation of the solids in the clarifier to occur more efficiently
and easily; aiding in the conservation of energy. Isolating the particle components first using
these processes may reduce the volume of downstream water treatment processes like filtration.
2- Potable water treatment
Water being purified for human consumption, is treated with floculation reagents, then sent to the
clarifier where removal of the flocculated coagulate occurs producing clarified water. The clarifier
works by permitting the heavier and larger particles to settle to the bottom of the clarifier. The
particles then form a bottom layer of sludge requiring regular removal and disposal. Clarified
water then proceeds through several more steps before being sent for storage and use.
3- Waste water treatment
Sedimentation tanks have been used to treat wastewater for millennia.
Primary treatment of sewage is removal of floating and settleable solids through
sedimentation.Primary clarifiers reduce the content of suspended solids and pollutants embedded
in those suspended solids. Because of the large amount of reagent necessary to treat domestic
wastewater, preliminary chemical coagulation and flocculation are generally not used, remaining
suspended solids being reduced by following stages of the system. However, coagulation and
flocculation can be used for building a compact treatment plant (also called a "package treatment
plant"), or for further polishing of the treated water.
Sedimentation tanks called "secondary clarifiers" remove flocs of biological growth created in
some methods of secondary treatment including activated sludge, trickling filters and rotating
biological contactors.
4- Mining
Methods used to treat suspended solids in mining wastewater include sedimentation and floc
blanket clarification and filtration. Sedimentation is used by Rio Tinto Minerals to refine raw ore
into refined borates. After dissolving the ore, the saturated borate solution is pumped into a large
settling tank. Borates float on top of the liquor while rock and clay settles to the bottom.