Flocculation

Flocculation is the aggregation of destabilized particles into larger clusters called flocs. These clusters can be separated from a liquid by settling, flotation, or filtration.

Coagulation: Coagulation destabilizes suspended particles, reducing the forces that keep them apart. It commonly precedes flocculation by making fine particles able to aggregate.
Water treatment: Water treatment uses physical, chemical, and biological processes to improve water quality for a defined use. Flocculation is widely used to remove suspended matter from drinking water and wastewater.
Colloidal stability: Colloidal stability is the resistance of dispersed particles to aggregation or settling. Flocculation overcomes the persistence of stable particle dispersions.
Coalescence: Coalescence is the merging of droplets or bubbles into larger units through the loss of their intervening boundaries. Unlike flocculation, it merges dispersed liquid or gas phases rather than merely clustering particles.
Colloid: A colloid is a mixture containing particles dispersed through another substance that do not readily settle. Flocculation acts on dispersed particles, especially colloids that remain suspended.
Jar test: A jar test is a bench-scale procedure for comparing coagulant doses and mixing conditions in water treatment. It helps establish chemical doses and mixing conditions that produce settleable flocs.
Electrical double layer: An electrical double layer is the arrangement of counterions and charge around a charged surface in a fluid. Its repulsive interactions can prevent particles from approaching closely enough to aggregate.
Agglomeration: Agglomeration is the formation of clusters from smaller particles without necessarily fusing them into a single solid. It is a broader term for particle clustering; flocculation commonly describes this in suspensions.
Zeta potential: Zeta potential is the electrical potential near the slipping plane of a particle moving through a fluid. Reducing its magnitude can lessen electrostatic repulsion and support particle aggregation.
Dissolved air flotation: Dissolved air flotation separates suspended material by attaching fine air bubbles that carry it to the surface. Flocs can be floated and skimmed when settling is unsuitable.

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