A review on application of flocculants in wastewater treatment

Lee, Chai Siah; Robinson, John; Chong, Mei Fong

Abstract

© 2014 The Institution of Chemical Engineers Flocculation is an essential phenomenon in industrial wastewater treatment. Inorganic coagulants (salts of multivalent metals) are being commonly used due to its low cost and ease of use. However, their application is constrained with low flocculating efficiency and the presence of residue metal concentration in the treated water. Organic polymeric flocculants are widely used nowadays due to its remarkable ability to flocculate efficiently with low dosage. However, its application is associated with lack of biodegradability and dispersion of monomers residue in water that may represent a health hazard. Therefore, biopolymers based flocculants have been attracting wide interest of researchers because they have the advantages of biodegradability and environmental friendly. But, natural flocculants are needed in large dosage due to its moderate flocculating efficiency and shorter shelf life. Thus, in order to combine the best properties of both, synthetic polymers are grafted onto the backbone of natural polymers to obtain tailor-made grafted flocculants. This paper gives an overview of the development of different types of flocculants that were being investigated for treatment of industrial wastewater. Furthermore, their flocculation performance will be reviewed and the flocculation mechanism will be discussed.

Citation

Lee, C. S., Robinson, J., & Chong, M. F. (2014). A review on application of flocculants in wastewater treatment. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 92(6), 489-508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2014.04.010

• Journal Article Type: Review
• Acceptance Date: Apr 15, 2014
• Online Publication Date: May 2, 2014
• Publication Date: 2014-11
• Deposit Date: Mar 9, 2021
• Journal: Process Safety and Environmental Protection
• Print ISSN: 0957-5820
• Electronic ISSN: 1744-3598
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 92
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 489-508
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2014.04.010
• Keywords: Environmental Engineering; General Chemical Engineering; Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality; Environmental Chemistry
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4851876
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0957582014000561
• Additional Information: This article is maintained by: Elsevier; Article Title: A review on application of flocculants in wastewater treatment; Journal Title: Process Safety and Environmental Protection; CrossRef DOI link to publisher maintained version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2014.04.010; Content Type: article; Copyright: Copyright © 2014 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.