COAGULATION

 In water treatment plant, plain sedimentation is used to remove suspended settleable

particles of larger size (greater than 50µm).
 Very fine suspended particles and colloidal matter of size less than 50µm cannot settle
in plain sedimentation tank in ordinary detention period.
 They can, however, be settled by increasing their size by changing them into
flocculated particles.
 For this, certain chemical compounds called coagulants are added to water which on
thorough mixing form floc.
 The fine particles get attracted and absorbed in the floc, forming the bigger sized
flocculated particles that can settle easily.
 In actual practice, plain sedimentation is rarely used these days and coagulation
before sedimentation is adopted in all major water treatment plants.
 The overflow rate in sedimentation tank using coagulants is normally kept between
24-30 m3/day/m2 of plan area (in plain sedimentation tank it is 12-18 m3/day/m2).
 The detention period for a sedimentation tank using coagulants usually ranges
between 2 to 4 hours (in plain sedimentation tank it is 4 to 8 hours).
 There are different chemicals that can be used as coagulant in water treatment plant.
Among them, alum [Al2(SO4)3.18H2O] is commonly used in most of the water
treatment plant.
 Other chemicals that can be used as coagulants are Ferric Chloride (FeCl3), Ferrous
Sulphate or Copperas (FeSO4.7H2O), Sodium aluminate (Na2Al2O4), Polyaluminum
chloride (PAC).
 Coagulation is the chemical technique for destabilization of charged colloidal
particles.
 Flocculation is the slow mixing technique which promotes the agglomeration of
the stabilized particles.
 But for all practical purposees, the entire process of addition of chemicals
(coagulants) and mixing (flocculation) is usually referred as coagulation.
 Discrete Particles (or granular particles): Which do not change their size, shape and
weight.
 Flocculated particles: Which change their size, shape and weight, and thus loose
their identity.

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Coagulation
  The colloidal suspension has very large specific area (surface to volume ratio), due
to their very small size. Hence the surface phenomenon predominent over the mass
phenomenon.
 The most important surface phenomenon is the accumulation of electric charge at
the particle surface.

Aluminum sulphate as a coagulant

 This is known as the filter alum or simply alum.
 Its chemical composition is Al2(SO4)3 18H2O.
 The alum has proved to be an effective coagulant and its use as a coagulant is more or
less universal at present in any water treatment project.
 This coagulant is found to be most effective when water is slightly alkaline (pH > 7
up to 8.5).
 Al2(SO4)3.18H2O + 3Ca(HCO3)2  3CaSO4 + 2Al(OH)3↓ + 6CO2
(666g) (3 x 162g) (6 x 44g)
 CO2 gas evolved, causes corrosiveness.
 Due to formation of CaSO4, addition of alum will impart permanent hardness to
water.
 If water is not slightlyt alkaline, external alkalies like lime, Ca(OH) 2 or soda ash
(Na2CO3) are gently added.

 Al2(SO4)3.18H2O + 3Ca(OH)2  3CaSO4 + 2Al(OH)3↓ + 18H2O

 Al2(SO4)3.18H2O + 3Na2CO3  3CaSO4 + 2Al(OH)3↓ + 3CO2 + 15H2O

 The dosage of coagulant will be depend on various factors such as turbidity of water,
colour and taste of water, pH value of water, temperature etc.
 the dosage of alum varies from 5 mg/L for relatively clear water to 85 mg/L for
highly turbid water. the average normal dose is about 17 mg/L.

Advantages of using alum are as follows:

1) It is cheap.
2) It also reduces taste and odour in addition to the turbidity in water.
3) It is simple in working and does not require skilled supervision.
4) It produces crystal clear water.
Disadvantages of using alum are as follows:
1) It is difficult to dewater the sludge formed and to dispose it off properly.
2) The sludge is not found suitable for filling of low lying lands.
3) The effective pH range for coagulation with alum is found to be too small.
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Coagulation