Evolution of asphaltene floc size distribution in organic solvents under shear

A mathematical model was developed on the basis of population balance to analyze experimental data on asphaltene floc size distribution in a coagulating suspension. Experiments were carried out in a Couette device under a laminar flow condition. Floc size distributions were measured on-line using optical microscopy and image analysis. The aggregation behavior of asphaltenes was investigated by monitoring the size distribution of flocs for various intensities of agitation (i.e., shear rate, G), solvent composition (i.e., ratio of toluene to n-heptane in the solution, T:H) and particle contents (i.e., volume fraction of particles, ?). The results showed that (i) the floc size distribution can be predicted using a population balance approach, (ii) a steady-state mean floc size is reached for a given shear rate, and (iii) this steady-state floc size increases as ? is increased or T:H is reduced. The relative rates of shear-induced aggregation and fragmentation determine the steady-state size distribution. Similar floc size distributions were obtained at steady state for various shear rates, indicating that the width of the size distribution is independent of shear. However, the experimental observations indicate that the steady-state floc size distribution depends on asphaltene concentration and solvent composition.     

Impact of Sludge Floc Size and Water Composition on Dewaterability

In order to observe the impact of different water compositions on sludge dewaterability, assessments of floc sizes using a particle size analyzer and of sludge dewaterability based on the capillary suction time (CST) test were carried out. Synthetic raw water had small floc sizes, and synthetic domestic wastewater had both larger median floc sizes and a better correlation between sludge dewaterability and median floc sizes. The floc size distribution results showed that synthetic raw water is associated with a narrow particle size distribution. In comparison, synthetic domestic wastewater produced a wider distribution. However, the CST values were similar for both waters. Compared to synthetic wastewater, natural wastewater had the largest distribution with generally larger particle sizes.     

The Practical Application of Fractal Dimension in Water Treatment Practice–the Impact of Polymer Dosing

Abstract

The application of floc fractal dimension has been investigated in this work to determine if this parameter can have operational significance in water treatment. Natural organic matter suspensions were coagulated with aluminium sulphate and varying concentrations of a non‐ionic polymer. The fractal dimensions of the flocs formed were measured using light scattering and settling combined with image analysis. By using the correct methodology, optimum floc properties could be determined using the floc fractal dimension combined with the floc size and strength data.     

Focused beam reflectance technique for in situ particle sizing in wastewater treatment settling tanks

Due to the complexities involved with measuring activated sludge floc size distributions, this parameter has largely been ignored by wastewater researchers and practitioners. One of the major reasons has been that instruments able to measure particle size distributions were complex, expensive and only provided off‐line measurements. The Focused Beam Reflectance Method (FBRM) is one of the rare techniques able to measure the particle size distribution in situ. This paper introduces the technique for monitoring wastewater treatment systems and compares its performance with other sizing techniques. The issue of the optimal focal point is discussed, and similar conclusions as found in the literature for other particulate systems are drawn. The study also demonstrates the capabilities of the FBRM in evaluating the performance of settling tanks. Interestingly, the floc size distributions did not vary with position inside the settling tank flocculator. This was an unexpected finding, and seriously questioned the need for a flocculator in the settling tank. It is conjectured that the invariable size distributions were caused by the unique combination of high solids concentration, low shear and zeolite dosing. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Electrical Aspects of Adsorbing Colloid Flotation. VI. Electrical Repulsion between Floc Particles

Abstract

Adsorption isotherms are calculated for precipitate and floc foam flotation within the framework of a Gouy-Chapman model which includes both the electrical attractions of the floc particles to the surface and their electrical repulsions for each other. The canonical ensemble is used, and algebraic expressions are found for approximating the sum of products of cluster integrals. Algebraic expressions for the surface excess of adsorbed floc are obtained which involve three reasonably simple integrals. The dependence of the adsorption isotherms on temperature, ionic strength, surface potentials of the floc and the air-water interface, ionic charge, and floc particle size is investigated.     

Spatial and temporal evolution of floc size distribution in a stirred square tank investigated using PIV and image analysis

In this study, non-intrusive measurements were performed in order to determine the spatial and temporal evolution of the floc size distribution in a square 7.3 L tank stirred with an A310 hydro foil impeller. The data was collected in situ using particle image velocimetry. The analysis of the data was done using a connected component labelling technique. It was found that the reproducibility of the system was adequate. The results show that there are large spatial differences in the mean size and the shape of the floc size distribution within the tank. It was found that steady-state was reached when stirrer speed was increased. It was also found that effects of the interaction between flocs and the water surface had substantial influence on the local size distribution. It was determined that the surface was more important for breakage of flocs than the impeller region. Results also showed clear number gradients in the tank. It is clear from this study that any population balance model developed in order to predict floc size distributions should incorporate spatial dependence.     

磁加载絮凝处理含铜废水

目前磁加载絮凝技术已被研究用于处理多种类型的废水,然而关于此技术中磁粉作用机理方向少有报道。为了解决这一问题,本文采用磁加载絮凝法处理模拟微蚀铜废水,研究了磁粉的加入对Cu²⁺和浊度去除率、絮体沉降速率以及絮体粒径的影响,深入分析了磁粉的作用规律和机理,为磁加载絮凝法应用到实际工程中提供了理论依据和技术参数。结果表明,当磁粉投加量和粒径分别取2.0g/L和300～400目时,磁加载絮凝效果最好。此时,Cu²⁺和浊度去除率均达到最高值98.53%和94.72%,比传统絮凝法高出4.11%和0.61%;絮体沉降速率最快,达5cm/min,是传统絮凝沉降速率的3.64倍;絮体粒径D₅₀也达到最大值41.94μm,较传统絮体粒径大20μm。磁粉投加量过多或过少、粒径过大或过小都会相应地减慢磁絮体的生长速率。     

高锰酸盐复合药剂预氧化处理松花江水的效果及机理

探讨了高锰酸盐复合药剂对春季时期松花江水的处理效果,采用流动电流检测技术研究了其电动特性,并用絮凝脉动颗粒检测技术对絮凝过程进行监测。试验结果表明,对于春季松花江水,单独投加混凝剂,不能有效去除浊度,投量过大还可能使浊度、色度等指标升高;投加高锰酸盐复合药剂对其进行强化处理后,可使沉后水浊度显著降低,对色度、CODMn也有较好的去除效果;投加高锰酸盐复合药剂使流动电流值SC升高,表明高锰酸盐复合药剂是通过氧化作用,降低了胶体颗粒表面负电性,使胶体稳定性降低,从而有利于混凝剂对胶体的絮凝作用;对絮凝过程的监测结果表明,高锰酸盐复合药剂强化了混凝过程,絮体形成快,絮体粒径大．     

Utilisation of waste material for environmental applications: calcination of mussel shells for waste water treatment

Abstract

Abstract

Waste mussel shells from the New Zealand aquaculture industry have been investigated as a potential source of lime for use in waste water treatment. The calcination of raw mussel shells to lime was studied as a function of particle size, temperature, heating rate, treatment time and atmosphere. Lime formation went through a maximum with respect to particle size for all heating conditions, as a result of competition between increased surface area and a tendency for particle to form necks resulting in caking. Optimised heat treatment conditions resulted in transformations of more than 95%. Preliminary experiments to investigate removal of phosphates from model waste water solutions showed that raw shells had limited ability due to a mechanism that relies on adsorption only. For these raw materials the finer particle sizes removed more phosphate due to increased surface area. The heat treated mussel shells on the other hand were shown to remove greater than 95% of the phosphates for both fine and coarse size ranges due to a precipitation mechanism of phosphate removal. This work demonstrates the potential for using mussels as an alternative to limestone for phosphate removal, at the same time overcoming the expensive and problematic issues of waste disposal.     

Effect of Pore Size and Particle Size Distribution on Granular Bed Filtration and Microfiltration

Abstract

The paper reviews the effect of particle size distribution and pore size distribution on granular bed filter and crossflow microfiltration performance. The experimental results of the granular bed filter with pollen particles in suspension showed that the presence of large particles improved the filter efficiency of smaller particles in suspension. Microfiltration results with bi and tri‐modal latex suspensions showed that the permeate flux and the quality were significantly affected by the particle size and its distribution, especially when the particle size was smaller than the pore size of the membrane. The mathematical model simulation results of granular bed filtration show that media pore size distribution is an important parameter of filtration for the particle removal and pressure drop across the filter.     

Separation Characteristics of Inorganic Particles from Rainfalls in Dissolved Air Flotation: A Korean Perspective

Abstract

Many reservoirs have been constructed in Korea to store water resources utilizing the terrain of the land. In general, dam source waters contain algae species that have densities close to that of water. Consequently algae are difficult to remove by conventional gravity sedimentation (CGS), while dissolved air flotation (DAF) is known to be an effective process for the purpose. The same source waters usually also have high turbidities due to mineral soil particles in the wet summer season. Systematic studies on the effect of high turbidity on the DAF process are very limited. In this work, DAF and CGS experiments were carried out to investigate water treatment characteristics and removal efficiencies under various COD/SS and chlorophyll‐a/SS ratios. A kinetic DAF process model was employed to describe bubble‐floc collision and agglomeration, as well as the rising velocity of bubble‐floc agglomerate. Our results showed that the initial collision‐attachment efficiency for the clay floc size range of 100?400 µm was a relatively low value of 0.3. The removal efficiency by DAF was greater than by CGS when chlorophyll‐a/SS ratio was high. It was also found that sedimentation prior to flotation is required for the effective separation of large clay flocs caused by runoff. Our experimental and theoretical results also suggest that the DAF process requires carefully operation in Korea, especially, in the rainy summer season.     

Evaluation of mixing conditions using an on-line monitoring technique

Effects of mixing conditions on flocculation were investigated by using a photometric dispersion analyzer (PDA) as an on-line monitoring technique in this study. Both river water and synthetic waters of humic acid (HA) and kaolin solutions were used and polyaluminum chloride (PACl) were used as a coagulant in this study. A clear relationship between F-index and residual turbidity was observed. Residual turbidity was low at high F-index. The mixing effects were also found closely related to the floc formation. When the floc formation was governed by a combination of charge neutralization and sweep floc, rapid mixing was important, but it was not important when the floc formation was governed by the sweep floc mechanism. The coagulant dosage governed the floc size and strength in the sweep floc region. The higher the coagulant dosage was, the larger but the weaker the floc was. Rapid mixing effects were different, depending on raw water characteristics. Fast and large floc formation was observed in flocculation of the kaolin solution, compared to that of the HA solution. Small HA would be mostly adsorbed onto the hydroxide precipitate after the precipitate formed. The adsorption could retard further floc growth. The resulting floc was small, and the floc formation was slow. However, kaolin helped flocculation by bridging the hydroxide precipitates, leading to fast and large floc formation. Temperature affected the flocculation kinetics as well as the floc size. A large floc formed at high temperature. The flocculation kinetics became fast with increasing temperature.     

Effect of polymerization method on structure and properties of cationic polyacrylamide

Acrylamide and 2‐(methacryloyloxy)ethyltrimethylammonium chloride (AM/MADQUAT) copolymers were synthesized by solution and inverse microemulsion polymerization using (NH₄)₂S₂O₈/NaHSO₃ as redox initiator at the same feed mole ratio, and their microstructure, such as sequence distribution and composition distribution, was calculated from monomer reactivity ratios of different polymerization methods. The results show that charge distribution is more uniform for copolymer prepared in inverse microemulsion than that in solution, and copolymer composition distribution is close to unity, and maintains approximately at the feed ratio. Furthermore, the influence of the two structures of cationic polyacrylamides on kaolinite floc size and effective floc density, reduction of Zeta potential and floc compressive yield stress had been investigated at pH 7. The results show that the kaolinite floc size and effective floc density are strongly dependent upon copolymer microstructure, with greater floc size and lower effective floc density being observed for copolymer prepared in inverse microemulsion than for that in solution. Copolymer microstructure has a marked effect on the Zeta potential, whose reduction in the magnitude was much greater in the presence of copolymer prepared in inverse microemulsion than that in solution. Greater compressive yield stress was achieved for the strong flocs produced by copolymer prepared in inverse microemulsion than for the weak flocs produced by that in solution. The difference in flocs compressive yield stress may be attributed to flocs structure. Therefore, in this article, a correlation between the cationic polyacrylamide structure and flocculation property for kaolinite suspension was established. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Flame spray drying: Droplet and particle flow dynamics

ABSTRACT

The work presents the fundamental research of dispersed phase flow during flame spray drying. Particle dynamics analysis and laser Doppler anemometry technique were applied to determine particle size distribution and particle velocity distribution. Results of the study showed that stable combustion and longer length of the flame were observed for coarse spray (large droplets, low atomization pressure, small spraying angle, and low concentration of droplets in spray). Particle residence time in the combustion zone is the main factor affecting the increase in particle diameters due to puffing. Complex flow dynamics of dispersed phase observed at the outward regions of the flame in recirculation zones results in the formation of particle agglomerates.     

Strength and breakage of activated sludge flocs

The breakage of activated sludge flocs under turbulent shear conditions was investigated as a function of floc size. Municipal activated sludge flocs were fractionated by sieving to narrow size fractions. Shear stress distribution functions for the breakage of activated sludge floc samples were obtained. It was found that by increasing the floc size, this distribution was skewed towards smaller shear stress values and became broader. Results of experiments showed that the median shear stress, τ₅₀, required for floc breakage reduced by about 23% from 3.9 Pa for 45-63 μm sieve fraction to 3 Pa for the 150-180 μm sieve fraction. Under steady conditions, the median shear stress for the breakage of fragments that formed due to the breakage of larger flocs was as much as three times larger than that of the original flocs.     

Effects of Fe(III) on floc characteristics of activated sludge

The effects of Fe(III) on floc characteristics of activated sludge were investigated in nine parallel sequencing batch reactors (SBRs). The results showed that Fe(III) improved the quality of organic matters in the effluent of reactors. Concentrations of Fe(III) up to 23.8 mg dm^?3 decreased suspended solids and turbidity in effluent but overdosage resulted in deterioration of these parameters. Activated sludge floc size measurements indicated that Fe(III) led to a shift in the size distribution from large to small flocs. Concentrations of Fe(III) less than 23.8mg dm^?3 did not significantly change the proportion of larger flocs, but overdosage of Fe(III) markedly decreased the fraction of larger flocs and produced a large number of smaller flocs, which may be responsible for the deterioration of effluent suspended solids and turbidity. Scanning electronic microscopic (SEM) observation suggested high Fe(III) concentrations lead to significant changes in floc morphology and reduction of filamentous microorganisms available for the formation of large aggregates. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Modeling New Particle Formation During Air Pollution Episodes: Impacts on Aerosol and Cloud Condensation Nuclei

The impact of new particle formation on regional air quality and CCN formation is for the first time explored using the UAM-AERO air quality model. New particles are formed by ternary nucleation of sulfuric acid, ammonia and water; subsequent growth of clusters to large sizes is driven by condensation of sulfuric acid and organic vapors, as described by the recently developed nano-Köhler theory. Application of the model in Athens (GAA) and Marseilles (GMA) reveals higher sulfuric acid condensational sink and gaseous sulfuric acid (hence nucleation rate) for the latter. However, limited quantities of organic vapors in the GMA inhibit the growth of the formed clusters; therefore new particle formation is more efficient in the GAA. A sensitivity analysis demonstrates that (1) uncertainty in vaporization enthalpy does not affect organic carbon formed by nucleation, and (2) an accommodation coefficient of unity gives excellent agreement of condensation sink with in-situ observations. Nucleation affects the aerosol size distribution, and can be an important contributor to CCN; locally it can be more important than chemical ageing of pre-existing aerosols.     

Effect of solvent type on preparation of ethyl cellulose microparticles by solvent evaporation method with double emulsion system using focused beam reflectance measurement

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of solvent type on the solidification rate of ethyl cellulose (EC) microparticles and particle size/distribution of emulsion droplets/hardened microparticles during the solvent evaporation process using focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM). EC microparticles were prepared with a water‐in‐oil‐in‐water solvent evaporation method using various solvents, including dichloromethane, dichloromethane–methanol (1:1), ethyl acetate and chloroform. The particle size/distribution of the emulsion droplets/hardened microparticles was monitored using FBRM. The morphology of EC microparticles was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The transformation of the emulsion droplets into solid microparticles for all solvents occurred within the first 10–90 min. The square weighted mean chord length of EC microparticles prepared using chloroform was smallest, but the chord count was not the highest. The chord length distribution (CLD) measured by FBRM showed that a larger mean particle size gave longer CLD and a lower peak of particle number. SEM data revealed that the morphology of microparticles was influenced by the type of solvent. FBRM can be employed for online monitoring of the shift in the microparticle CLD and detect transformation of emulsion droplets into solid microparticles during the solvent evaporation process. The microparticle CLD and transformation process were strongly influenced by solvent type. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry     

Comparison of initiation methods in the structure of CPAM and sludge flocs properties

Cationic polyacrylamides (CPAMs) synthesized by thermal, ultrasonic, microwave, and UV initiation were characterized through magnetic resonance hydrogen spectroscopy (¹H NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectra, scanning electron microscopy, and thermal gravimetric analysis. The CPAMs for flocculation and dewatering of alum sludge produced through drinking water treatment were evaluated based on the residual turbidity of the supernatant, dry solid content, mean volume diameter and floc size distribution, fractal dimension of the flocs, and zeta potential as a function of flocculant dosage. Comparisons of the characteristics and performance of CPAMs synthesized through different initiation methods were systematically conducted. Flocculation and dewatering test results demonstrated that CPAMs synthesized through microwave and UV initiation had better flocculation performance and dewatering capability than those synthesized through thermal and ultrasonic initiation. All four CPAMs exhibited a similar final floc size distribution but different mean volume diameters and floc structures. The fractal dimension of the flocs and the zeta potential were in the following order: CPAM3 (microwave initiation) > CPAM4 (UV initiation) > CPAM1 (thermal initiation) > CPAM2 (ultrasonic initiation). Discussions on fractal dimension and zeta potential indicated that the electrostatic patches model and adsorption/bridging effect mechanisms played the main role in the formation of sludge flocs. Lastly, microwave and UV initiation were found to be alternative and recommendable initiation methods for the synthesis of CPAMs with improved flocculation performance and sludge dewatering capability. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 44071.     

Simulation of Aerosol Dynamics: A Comparative Review of Algorithms Used in Air Quality Models

A comparative review of algorithms currently used in air quality models to simulate aerosol dynamics is presented. This review addresses coagula tion, condensational growth, nucleation, and gas particle mass transfer. Two major approaches are used in air quality models to represent the particle size distribution: (1) the sectional approach in which the size distribution is discretized into sections and particle properties are assumed to be constant over particle size sections and (2) the modal approach in which the size distribution is approxi mated by several modes and particle properties are assumed to be uniform in each mode. The sectional approach is accurate for coagulation and can reproduce the major characteristics of the evolution of the particle size distribution for condensa tional growth with the moving-center and hybrid algorithms. For coagulation and condensational growth, the modal approach provides more accurate results when the standard deviations of the modes are allowed to vary than it does when they are fixed. Predictions of H₂SO₄ nucleation rates are highly sensitive to environ mental variables and simulation of relative rates of condensation on existing particles and nucleation is a preferable approach. Explicit treatment of mass transfer is recommended for cases where volatile species undergo different equilib rium reactions in different particle size ranges (e.g., in the presence of coarse salt particles). The results of this study provide useful information for use in selecting algorithms to simulate aerosol dynamics in air quality models and for improving the accuracy of existing algorithms.