Flocs in Water Treatment

Book excerpt: Flocs in Water Treatment is the first of its kind - serving as a valuable aide-mémoire for scientists, process engineers and other professionals engaged in water treatment. The framework described in Flocs in Water Treatment can also be applied to aggregated solids found both in the natural environment, and within a broad range of industries. Flocs (aggregated solid matter) resulting from the combined influence of coagulation and flocculation play a vital role in solid-liquid separation processes. The design and operation of water treatment plants demands a proper understanding of the ways in which flocs affect treatment systems and how their properties can be manipulated to increase treatment efficiency. Flocs in Water Treatment provides a comprehensive account of the ways in which flocs are formed, their characterization, and how they behave in practice. Flocs are complex entities, whose properties defy easy description and measurement. In spite of this, the authors provide a clear and discerning account of the current state of knowledge; this is rooted in science and draws on many disciplines. Based on their experiences in research and the workings of full scale treatment plants, the authors offer candid advice on tasks such as the measurement of floc properties and guidance on problems involving the use of chemicals for controlling floc properties within treatment systems.