Experiment 4

JAR TEST

COAGULATION AND FLOCCULATION

Majority of ions in surface water consist of negatively charged

particle/colloids which are stable in nature ( stable = existing in
ionized form) .

They repel other colloidal particles before they collide with one another. The
colloids are continually involved in Brownian movement.
2

COAGULATION AND FLOCCULATION

Particles

Destabilization (Coagulation)

Flocculation

Al 3+ /
Fe3+

Al 3+ /
Fe3+

Al(OH)3 (s) @ Fe(OH)3 (s)

Settle down at the bottom of
the flocculation tank
3

Coagulation
Coagulation process utilizes what is known as a chemical

coagulant is mixed thoroughly with the water and various

species of the positively charged particles (such as Al3+,
Fe3+)adsorb to the negatively charged colloids such as colour,
clay, turbidity and other particles through the processes of
charge neutralisation to produce microfloc.
Once the charge is neutralized, the small suspended particles

are capable of sticking together microflocs.

The water surrounding the newly formed microflocs should be

clear. If it is not, all the particles' charges have not been

neutralized, and coagulation has not been carried to completion.
More coagulant may need to be added.

Flocculation
is the process in which the destabilised

particles are bound together by hydrogen

bonding of Van der Waals forces to form
larger particle flocs.
High molecular weight polymers, (i.e
coagulant aids) added during this step to
help bridge, bind, and strengthen the floc,
add weight, and increase settling rate.
The dosage used in WT is 5-50 mg/L.
Effective pH for coagulation is 5.5-8.0.

Example: Used alum as coagulation

Alum sludge (alum floc,
agent
aluminum hidroxide, dry
sludge) settle in the
flocculation tank

1Al2(SO4)314H2O + 6HCO-3 2Al(OH)3 3H2O(s) + 6CO2 +8H2O

+ 3SO-24
Al2(SO4)3.14H2O + 6HCO-3 2Al(OH)3(s) + 6CO2 + 3SO-24 +
14H2O
The above reaction shifts the carbonate equilibrium and decreases
the pH

Coagulant agents:

Trivalent cations considered as good

coagulant as follows:

Cations such as Fe3+ and Al3+ has a higher

molecular weight, so its easy to settle .
it removes turbidity effectively even a small
dose was used.

In FKAAS laboratory, frequently we used Al3+ or

Fe2+ as coagulant agent.

PROCEDURE of COAGULATION and FLOCCULATION

JAR test (shown in Figure) is a laboratory works to illustrate the coagulation
and flocculation concepts associated to nature water. From this experiment
the optimal pH, coagulant dose ,and coagulant aid could be determined.

Therefore, coagulation and flocculation designed to remove

Microorganisms and colloids that caused turbidity
Toxic compounds that are sorbed to particles

Environmental Engineering Sem 2 2011/2012

Procedure:
1. Prepare the wastewater sample
2. Measure temperature, pH and turbidity of

water sample

..cont. PROCEDURE
3. Add 1 - 5 ml of coagulant (alum/ferrous sulfate) by using a
measuring pipette into beaker 1,2,3,4 and 5 while in
beaker 6, no alum was added as it acts as a control
sample.

..cont. PROCEDURE
Students are allowed to choose:
JAR TEST 1: Set up with fixed coagulant dose at
varied pH (shown in Table 1 lab sheet)
JAR TEST 2: Set up the variation of coagulant dose
at a fixed pH=6 (shown in Table 2 in lab sheet)

..cont. PROCEDURES
4. Measure the pH and turbidity of each beaker
by using pH and turbidity meter.
5. Start stirring rapidly (60 to 80 rpm) for 3
minutes.
6. Reduce the speed (30 rpm) for about 20
minutes.
7. Observe the flocculation process and record
the floc formation in final 10 minutes by
referring to the chart of particle sizes provided
as in lab sheet.

..cont. PROCEDURE
7. After the stirring period is over, stop the stirrer
and allow the flocs to settle for about 5
minutes.
8. Separate out 500 mL of settled water into
another beaker.
9. Determine the temperature, pH and turbidity
of the clarified water.

..cont. PROCEDURE
Please record the qualitative characteristics

of flocs as bad, moderate, good and very

good.
Cloudy samples indicate bad coagulation
while good coagulation refers to rapid floc
formation resulting in clear water formation on
the upper portion of the beaker.

Very fine

Very fine / fine

Fine

Moderately fine

Moderate

Coarse

Very Coarse

Figure: The scale for measures of floc particle sizes. It gives

the qualitative characteristics of flocs.

Analysis:
Example of results:

Plot the graph:

Example of graph: From the graph, the
optimal alum dosage was
estimated to be 12.5 mg/L