Dissolved air flotation is a process used to treat and clarify water contaminated with fats, oils, and greases. Air bubbles are introduced to bind to contaminants, causing them to float to the surface. Flocculants are used for heavier impurities. The process removes about 80% of impurities but does not completely purify the water.
Dissolved air flotation is a process generally used to treat and clarify water. This allows for the recycling of wastewater from sewers, septic tanks, storm drains and other sites with contaminated water. The process is also used in many industries related to petroleum, paper and food, where the water is usually contaminated with fats, oils and greases (FOG).
Many factories and chemical plants use emulsifiers such as soap to clean MISTS. Emulsifiers have the ability to blend immiscible substances together, such as water and oil, which is why FOGs can mix in water. Contaminants also become negatively charged once coated by the emulsifier, causing them to become suspended in water. The dissolved air flotation process works by producing air bubbles to bind to contaminants. This will cause the MISTS to float above the surface, making them easier to remove.
The process of dissolved air flotation begins when wastewater is driven into a tank or pipe, where air is introduced. Under pressure, the added air dissolves into a liquid solution and remains so until released. When the solution is released, the air emerges as tiny microscopic bubbles, which are mixed with the wastewater. The bubbles attach themselves to the contaminants, become solid in shape and rise to the surface of the water. The water will therefore be clearer and more transparent, while a thin film of mud floats above the water. A skimmer removes the sludge and finally clarifies the water.
For other impurities heavier than water, substances called flocculants are used in dissolved air flotation. The chemical principle behind it is that the negative charges of the contaminant should be neutralized. Dissolved air flotation, therefore, introduces some positively charged chemicals into the contaminants. These chemicals can include items like aluminum and iron. The positive charges will destroy the emulsion that forms between the heavy particles and the water, forcing the contaminants to bind with the chemicals and float to the surface.
Dissolved air flotation can clarify water, but it does not ultimately purify it or completely rid it of contaminants. Typically, about 80% of solid and chemical impurities are removed, however the remaining 20% can be harmful, especially when the water is used for drinking or bathing. Usually, the water goes through repeated cycles of flotation of the dissolved air, or it goes through other filtration and purification processes.
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