What are Flocculants Coagulants Wastewater Treatment?

High Quality Dewatering Flocculants and Coagulants

Flocculants and Coagulants for Wastewater are used in every industrial water treatment process. Wastewater slurries exhibit a range of particle sizes and charge requirements. Optimum treatment of the wastewater requires specific dosages of coagulants and flocculants.  This is achieved and overall performance improved by matching molecular weight and charge to the unique characteristics of the slurry. Our high quality FlocREADY flocculants and coagulants are designed to improve your processes and lower your overall cost in a wide range of mineral processing applications. We offer high-quality dry-powder flocculants that exhibit consistent quality and high active polymer content. Our proprietary sieving process serves to eliminate many dust fines and reduce human exposure and slippery residue in the makedown area. Together with our dry polymer process, which achieves high molecular weights, this often results in a cost savings. Our portfolio also includes high-performance emulsion flocculants. Our proprietary emulsion breaker and carrier systems result in reduced polymer emulsion settling rates and low formation of insoluble material.

• Specifically formulated to enhance liquid/solid separation (How Industrial Wastewater Pretreatment Works?).
• Our experienced and highly trained chemists and technicians can create an optimized chemistry plan that ensures your system works at peak efficiency.
• Without this guidance you run the risk of damaging your equipment by using the wrong chemicals, spending too much money on wasted chemicals, paying costly non-compliance fees, and running up higher energy bills because your system is operating inefficiently.

How they Work?

Coagulants

For any wastewater pretreatment program that deals with suspended solids, coagulants can consolidate suspended contaminants for easy removal. Chemical coagulants used in industrial wastewater pretreatment fall into one of two categories: organic and inorganic coagulants.

Inorganic coagulants are cost-effective and can be used in a wider variety of applications. They are especially effective on any raw water with low turbidity, an application not fit for organic coagulants. When added to water, inorganic coagulants from aluminum or iron precipitates that absorb the water’s impurities, thus cleaning it. This is referred to as the “sweep-floc” mechanism. While effective, this process adds to the overall sludge volume that needs to be removed from the water. Frequently used inorganic coagulants include aluminum sulfate, aluminum chloride, and ferric sulfate.

Organic coagulants offer the advantages of lower dosages, lower volumes of produced sludge, and no effect on the pH of the treated water. Examples of common organic coagulants include polyamines and polyDADMACs, as well as melamine formaldehydes and tannins.

Flocculants

Used in a wide range of industries and applications, flocculants help to remove suspended solids from wastewater by aggregating contaminants into flakes or “flocs” that float to the surface of the water or settle at the bottom. They can also be used for lime softening, sludge thickening, and solids dehydration. Natural or mineral flocculants include activated silica and polysaccharides, while synthetic flocculants are most commonly based on polyacrylamide.

Depending on the charge and chemical composition of your wastewater, flocculants can either be used on their own or in combination with coagulants. Flocculants differ from coagulants in that they are often polymers, whereas coagulants are typically salts. They can range in molecular size (weight) and charge density (% of the molecule with either anionic or cationic charges), which is used to “balance” the charge of the particles in the water and cause them to come together and dewater. Generally speaking, anionic flocculants are used to catch mineral particles while cationic flocculants can capture organic particles.

At ChemREADY, our high-quality FlocREADY line of flocculants and coagulants are designed to improve wastewater treatment and lower overall costs in a wide range of mineral processing applications. We offer a wide range of cationic, anionic, and non-ionic flocculants, we well as organic and inorganic coagulants for all of your chemical treatment needs.  You can also learn more about our equipment partner for use in dewatering after pretreatment here: Matec.